CALGARY – The life of a quadriplegic is a difficult one, bound to a chair and often depending on a ventilator for every breath, but new technology is allowing patients to breathe a little easier.
A diaphragm pacing device, called the NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System, is giving quadriplegics like Airdrie native Charles Nixdorff the ability to breathe for short periods of time unassisted.
Nixdorff had his device implanted in October and is now able to breathe more naturally during the day, away from his ventilator.
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The diaphragm pacing mechanism operates similar to a cardiac pace maker, stimulating the muscle to force regular movement, and is monitored by an external device controlling breath frequency, depth and duration.
Beyond allowing patients to breathe on their own, the pacing device also decreases the risk of infection and irritation associated with ventilation tubes, increasing patient safety.
Doctors in the United States and Europe have performed similar procedures, but Nixdorff is one of the first in Canada to test out the device, alongside one patient who is being considered in Edmonton.
Few candidates are suitable for the procedure as the phrenic nerve, which powers the diaphragm, must still be intact, and a number of severe quadriplegic injuries damage that area.
Patients are still required to use the ventilator at night for precaution, but the ability to breathe freely is a gift many patients, including Nixdorff, never expected to experience again.
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