German COVID-19-patient treated for the first time with a diaphragm-therapy

It comes to serious COVID-19-gradients, can be a mechanical ventilation will be required. During such ventilation, the risk of dying is particularly high. The so-called diaphragm-therapy aims to make breathing safer now.

The medical staff of the University hospital of Greifswald, Germany successfully tested a new method of COVID-19-Concerned with the severe forms of mechanical ventilation weaning. For this purpose, a newly developed diaphragmatic stimulation therapy is used.

Diaphragmatic stimulation therapy in COVID-19

In the context of a not-yet-completed international multi-center study, the University hospital of Greifswald test as the first clinical facility in Europe, a special diaphragm stimulation therapy for the treatment of COVID-19-Concerned with severe cases, where mechanical ventilation is used.

First success on a new method of treatment

The first Person that has been treated with the new method, is a woman with a heavy COVID-19-disease, which had to be artificially ventilated. The Doctors have not managed to wean the people Affected by the ventilation machine. “With the new method, we were able to treat this patient who is over 65 years old, and 38 days on the ventilator has spent, and her return to the stand-alone breathing permit,” says Professor Dr. Ralf Ewert, University of Greifswald.

In the case of artificial respiration, the diaphragm suffers

In normal abdominal breathing, the diaphragm becomes tense, which lies below the lungs between the chest and abdominal cavity. The tension of the diaphragm allows the chest cavity is enlarged downwards, making a deep abdominal breathing is possible. In the case of artificial respiration, the diaphragm can be weakened by the inactivity so far, that the Affected can no longer sufficiently breathe independently and, therefore, not from the mechanical ventilation was weaned.

A blessing and a curse of a mechanical ventilation

As the University hospital of Greifswald stresses can be mechanical ventilation in case of respiratory failure, a life-saver. The respiration, however, takes too long, it can lead to damage in the Affected, in particular, on the diaphragm, that while the therapy is not stressed and stunted.

How does the diaphragm-therapy?

To prevent this, was developed the new diaphragmatic stimulation. The heart of the new treatment is®the mobile Lungpacer System, which was developed by a canadian company. During mechanical ventilation, the device stimulates the weakened diaphragm muscle to support the weaning from the ventilator.

Improvement of the mechanical ventilation

The Lungpacer® System is designed so that it can be easily in the routine care of sufferers, need of invasive mechanical ventilation, are integrated. The System uses a venous catheter, the diaphragm muscles are stimulated. At weaning, the diaphragm is weakened, then less, which is faster independently able to breathe. The device can be used not only in COVID-19, but with any illness that requires mechanical ventilation.

The University of Greifswald medical school is the first hospital in Germany that tests this method. In the current “RESCUE 3”-study of safety and efficacy data to be collected. Until the conclusion of the investigation, the method is only in the context of clinical trials available. (vb)

Authors and source of information