Implant Aids Breathing in Paralyzed People

Southwestern Medical Center will begin implanting a device that helps paralyzed people breathe easier, state surgeons at the Dallas center.

The NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System is designed to give patients more freedom and to help slow respiratory decline, says Dr. Michael DiMaio, associate professor of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Southwestern.

The pacing system separates the abdomen and chest cavity, with nerve signals from the brain telling it when to expand and contract. The system replaces an external ventilator that supports breathing through a tube placed directly in the airway through the front of the throat, DiMaio explains.

"Patients have more mobility because they don't have an external ventilator to carry around, and the surgery to implant the device is less invasive than previous treatments," he says.

The device, made by an Ohio company, Synapse Biomedical, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008. Southwestern is one of 25 sites in the United States equipped to implant the device.