Boston, MA - Jessica Whitson was like any other 17 year old focused on school, a summer with her friends and getting ready for the prom season. However, after a horrific car accident Jessica suffered a severe spinal cord injury (SCI) paralyzing her from the neck down and robbing her of that most precious and vital ability. breathing. Jessica and her family faced a lifetime of her dependent on a large ventilator machine to breathe.
However, patients on ventilators like Jessica across the country are now joining together with renewed hope as an innovative new procedure is allowing patients previously ventilator dependent to breathe on their own. The NeuRx Diaphragm Pacer (DPS) recently FDA approved, has ignited excitement throughout the medical community. In clinical trials over 50% of patient who received the device and rehabilitation achieved total ventilator independence. One hundred percent of patients were able to breathe on their own for at least four hours per day.
Last week Jessica became first NeuRx Diaphragm Pacer (DPS) surgery in New England has been successfully completed at Brigham and Women's Hospital last week. A small handful of patient nationwide have had the innovative procedure.
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital's world renowned spinal cord injury team in Boston working collaboratively with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Synapse Biomedical, creators of the NeuRx Pacer is overseeing Jessica's recovery and rehabilitative therapy. Jessica entire body is relearning to breathe on its own at first for a few minutes now much longer stretches, speeding her recovery over previous treatments. "It's a miracle for us, she is doing amazing," said Kelli Whitson, Jessica's mother.
If the treatment continues to be successful the procedure could revolutionize life for patients on ventilators. Brigham and Spaulding already have several more patients ready to undergo the procedure.
"The NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System adds another aspect of care and technology to our patients with spinal cord injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who are on ventilators. With this system, they breathe more naturally and can have less reliance upon the ventilator and greater freedom to do things that they wouldn't have done with the vent. It really is an extraordinary device that can help in decreasing pneumonia, enhance sleep, and adds immensely to quality of life," said Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Medical Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program.
One of the first clinical trial recipients and most prominent advocates was Christopher Reeve who received the device in early 2000. It is estimated that over 280,000 people live with spinal cord injuries with 11,000 new cases each year. The average lifetime care cost for a 25 year old with SCI related ventilator dependency is estimated be over $3 million.
The NeuRx DPS is a diaphragm pacing system provides electrical stimulation to muscle and nerves that run through the diaphragm. The NeuRx DPS is made up of four electrodes implanted in the diaphragm to stimulate the muscle, a fifth electrode under the skin to complete the electrical circuit, a connector holder, a cable and an external battery powered pulse generator.
About Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
A member of Partners HealthCare, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is the flag ship facility of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, which includes the Spaulding main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, MA, Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital three skilled nursing facilities: North End Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Boston Center for Rehabilitation and Sub-Acute Care, and the Clark House, as well as sixteen outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.
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