Breathing pacemaker for spinal cord injury patientsRSS Feed

A spinal cord injury patient in Israel is the first person in the country to benefit from a new breathing pacemaker that will allow him to breathe without a respirator, it has been reported.

Yedidya Knopf, who suffered a spinal injury in a road accident that paralysed him from the neck down, was implanted with the "artificial diaphragm" at Alyn Hospital in Israel, the Jerusalem Post reports.

The pacemaker works by sending an electrical signal to muscles involved in breathing functions, making the patient independent from respirators.

Dr Eliezer Be'eri, head of Alyn Hospital's respiratory rehabilitation unit, said: "This is an important breakthrough that gives hope to spinal cord victims."

The operation itself was carried out by a team from the hospital and overseen by Columbia University's Mark Ginsburg, who has performed around 60 operations of this sort.

Spinal cord injuries can make it very difficult and sometimes impossible for patients to breathe on their own.

Recently a British man who suffered a spinal injury while on holiday died as a result of respiratory problems arising from his condition.

Serious Law, award winning spinal injury law firm

Posted by Matthew Dixon

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