Phrenic nerve stimulation (diaphragm pacing) in respiratory paralysis.
Phrenic nerve stimulators (diaphragm pacers) were implanted in 16 patients with partial or total respiratory insufficiency due to high cervical medullary lesions and brain stem lesions (14 cases) or central hypoventilation syndrome (2 cases). At 5-72 months' follow-up (M = 35) 12 patients are entirely independent of conventional respirator, 2 of them after 8 years of total respirator dependency. Two patients are dead and the final 2 cases had limited help from diaphragm pacing.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010791:Phrenic Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D012133:Respiratory Paralysis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*