Award recognises spinal injury research on coughingRSS Feed

A leading research doctor in the field of spinal injuries has been honoured for his twenty years of work with a national award.

Dr Anthony DiMarco, a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland was recognised with the Apple Award of excellence from the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA), the Chagrin Valley Times reports.

The award paid particular recognition to his work in developing a new technique to restore cough functions to spinal injury patients.

Inability to cough is major contributory factor deaths in spinal injury sufferers, Dr DiMarco told the paper.

"Patients with spinal cord injury experience paralysis of the abdominal muscles, which is the major muscle group normally used to generate a cough reflex," he explained.

"The major cause[s] of death in these patients are pneumonia, bronchitis or other respiratory illnesses."

Recently an inquest heard how a British man died following chest infections and pneumonia that were the result of an inability to cough following a paralysing accident.

Serious Law, award winning spinal injury law firm

Posted by Paul Breen

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