St. Luke’s Medical Center Treats Emphysema Patients with RENEW Lung Volume Reduction Coil
Patients suffering from emphysema now have access to a new treatment as part of an FDA-approved study currently underway at St. Luke’s Medical Center, where the first patient treated with the PneumRx® RePneu® Lung Volume Reduction Coil (RePneu LVRC®) System has experienced favorable results.
Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Consultants, PLLC physicians Timothy A. Connolly, M.D. (Principal Investigator), and Co-Investigators Lisa Kopas, M.D. and J. Fernando Santacruz, M.D., recently opened an FDA-approved, multi-center study to employ an endoscopic approach to lung volume reduction via the implantation of multiple memory shape metal nitinol coils. The study is sponsored by PneumRx (Mountain View, CA).
The Coil is made of nitinol (metal) and is placed in the lung airways. It works by squeezing the unhealthiest portions of the lung so that the remaining, healthier parts can expand to function more efficiently. There has already been a significant amount of experience utilizing this technology in multiple European studies with more than 2,330 Coils implanted thus far.
“The results are very promising, with the potential for improvement in lung function tests, quality of life scores, and functional improvement,” said Dr. Connolly. “To date, complications are less than lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS), making this intervention more attractive and available to a broader range of patients who suffer from emphysema.”
The study will enroll up to 315 patients at approximately 30 sites, including St. Luke’s Medical Center. Patients in the study will be assigned to one of two groups: the control group or the LVRC treatment group. Prior to being considered for inclusion in the study, potential patients need to have completed a formal pulmonary rehabilitation program within the prior six months. If a pulmonary rehab program was completed more than six months ago, maintenance rehab work, such as walking at home daily, must be demonstrated.
For more information about this trial or to schedule an appointment with one of the St. Luke’s study physicians, call 713-255-4010 (Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST). For more information regarding this novel technology, please log on to www.pneumrx.com or www.StLukesHouston.com/Research.
