A female was diagnosed with a unique condition that caused her to faint whenever she stood or sat down. She can now stand up and walk the distance of 2 and a half football pitches with a walker, thanks to a new technology placed in her nervous system.
The identical implanted gadget was recently utilized to treat three paralyzed spinal cord injuries. In these individuals, the implant triggered musculature in the trunk & legs by stimulating certain spinal cord neurons. So the guys could use a stationary bike to exercise while standing, walking, and even pedaling.
A spinal nerve is stimulated in her condition, which causes the arteries in her trunk as well as legs to contract. When she rises or sits up, her blood pressure usually drops, and she frequently faints as a result of the brain’s insufficient blood circulation and oxygen delivery. The spinal implant keeps her from going into a coma because it tells the arteries in her lower body to tighten, keeping her from falling unconscious.
Since this was a lone occurrence, there is a significant probability of bias because there was no control group, therefore, the data must be evaluated with great care. However, even though the device has benefited the patient’s experience of living, it does not treat her underlying neurological condition, which specialists say is terminal. This should be noted.
An accelerometer and a component for generating electrical currents are both included in the implant, which allows it to track the patient’s movement. The 16 probes on the paddle-shaped lead that help connect the stimulus device to the soft lead produce the signals to the spinal cord’s nerve fibers.
Following 8 months, the woman indicated that she continued still utilizing stimulation throughout the day & that she had no longer had any loss of awareness.
The paper was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
