RePneu Coils: surgical methods for COPD

In COPD therapy, the following surgical procedures for lung volume reduction (LVR) are recommended and used in advanced stages and in cases of permanent shortness of breath:

1. RePneu Coils

2. Endobronchial Valves

Aim and effect of lung volume reduction (LVR)

The aim of the surgical methods (RePneu coils and endobronchial valves) is to reduce the volume of over-inflated parts of the lungs so that the patient can breathe better and breathing is made easier. The permanently present emphysema is to be reduced in size or volume through lung volume reduction in order to simultaneously create more space for the overinflation of other areas in the lungs – a purely symptomatic measure.

Effect of RePneu Coils on the Lungs

The RePneu coils, also called spirals, have a „spiral memory shape“ made of nitinol and have been increasingly used since 2010 through minimally invasive endoscopic procedures under general anaesthesia.

The coils are inserted in an elongated form and then contract into a coil along with the lung tissue. As they contract, over-inflated areas of the lungs are reduced in size, which leads to relief in neighbouring areas of the lungs as well, making breathing easier – or so the theory goes! The RePneu coils can function regardless of the anatomy of the COPD sufferer’s lungs. Once the RePneu Coils have been inserted, they cannot be removed again!

RePneu Coils - Spiralen bei COPD
Coils are inserted in the left lung in the middle branch, which contract in a spiral after the surgical procedure; the contracting coils simultaneously contract lung tissue. This gives more space to the upper and lower branches/lung area.