Smoker benefits from emphysema treatment

A Mansfield Woodhouse woman has become one of the first people in the country outside a clinical trial to benefit from a new treatment for severe emphysema.

Jill Dry had a series of self-expanding metal coils inserted into each of her lungs via a minimally invasive procedure at King’s Mill Hospital.

A smoker since the age of 16, Jill was amazed by the effects that the procedure had on her.

“Within a few days of leaving hospital I found I could breathe more easily, had more energy and was hardly coughing at all.

“It also had a very positive effect on my self-confidence.

“In recent years I had become introverted and antisocial - I did not go out much as I hated people looking me every time I had a coughing fit.”

The lung volume reduction coil helps improve lung function, exercise capacity and quality of life by implanting nitinol coils into each lung via a tube fed through the mouth.

The coils compress diseased tissue, creating more room for healthy tissue to expand and function more effectively.

They also help restore the lungs’ natural elasticity, and hold the airways open during exhalation.

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