Marcapasos diafragmático como alternativa a la ventilación mecánica en el paciente con lesión medular cervical / Diaphragmatic pacemaker as an alternative to mechanical ventilation in patients with cervical spinal injury

Objetivo Comprobar que el marcapasos diafragmático es una forma de soporte respiratorio que puede usarse para facilitar la retirada del respirador volumétrico en pacientes con lesión medular cervical y parálisis diafragmática, mediante su comparación con el respirador volumétrico tradicional. Diseño Análisis retrospectivo de una base de datos prospectiva y de tipo caso-control apareado por edad. Ámbito Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y Unidad de Cuidados Intermedios Respiratorios del Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos de Toledo. Pacientes Se han recogido los datos de todos los pacientes dados de alta del hospital con soporte respiratorio permanente mediante respirador volumétrico o marcapasos diafragmático con un periodo de seguimiento de 25 años y se han realizado entrevistas personales para valorar la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Para las comparaciones estadísticas se han usado tests de comparaciones y de supervivencia. Intervenciones Cuestionario de calidad de vida. Variables de interés Datos demográficos y clínicos, estancia hospitalaria, mortalidad, readaptación familiar y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Resultados Hemos examinado las historias clínicas de 101 pacientes, 37 con marcapasos y 64 con un respirador volumétrico. Nuestros resultados muestran tanto una duración del ingreso en UCI y de la hospitalización como una reintegración familiar sin diferencias significativas, con tendencia a una mayor supervivencia en los pacientes con marcapasos (18,18 frente a 9,67 años por el método de Kaplan-Meier, p<0,001), aunque esta diferencia deja de ser estadísticamente significativa (p=0,06) tras controlar (..) (AU)

Objective To verify that the diaphragmatic pacemaker is a form of respiratory support that can be used to replace a volumetric respirator in cervical spinal injury patients with cervical spinal lesion and diaphragmatic paralysis by means of its comparison with the traditional volumetric respirator. Design Retrospective study of a prospective database and age-matched case-control study. Setting Intensive Care Unit and Intermediate Care Respiratory Unit, Paraplegics National Hospital, Toledo (Spain).Patients We collected data on all patients discharged from the Hospital with permanent respiratory support by volumetric respirator or diaphragmatic pacemaker during a follow-up period of 25 years. Personal interviews were conducted to evaluate health-related quality of life. Comparison and survival tests were used for statistical comparisons. Interventions Quality of life questionnaire. Main variables The main variables collected were demographic data, hospital stay, mortality, family reintegration and health-related quality of life. Results We evaluated the clinical records of 101 patients, 37 in the pacemaker-group and 64 in the volumetric respirator-group. Our results show that ICU admission duration and hospitalization as well as family reintegration, without significant differences, with a tendency to greater survival in pacemaker patients (18.18 versus 9.67 years by the Kaplan-Meier method, p<0.001). However, this difference becomes non-significant (p=0.06) after adjustment of the groups by age. Furthermore, better quality of life was found in these same patients with pacemakers in terms of security, communication, sociability, comfort and mobility in the patients. Conclusions Diaphragmatic pacemaker ventilation is an effective alternative to mechanical ventilation with similar efficacy that improve quality of life in patients with severe respiratory failure due to cervical spinal cord injury (AU)

[Diaphragmatic pacemaker as an alternative to mechanical ventilation in patients with cervical spinal injury]. / Marcapasos diafragmático como alternativa a la ventilación mecánica en el paciente con lesión medular cervical.

OBJECTIVE: To verify that the diaphragmatic pacemaker is a form of respiratory support that can be used to replace a volumetric respirator in cervical spinal injury patients with cervical spinal lesion and diaphragmatic paralysis by means of its comparison with the traditional volumetric respirator. DESIGN: Retrospective study of a prospective database and age-matched case-control study. SETTING: Intensive Care Unit and Intermediate Care Respiratory Unit, Paraplegics National Hospital, Toledo (Spain). PATIENTS: We collected data on all patients discharged from the Hospital with permanent respiratory support by volumetric respirator or diaphragmatic pacemaker during a follow-up period of 25 years. Personal interviews were conducted to evaluate health-related quality of life. Comparison and survival tests were used for statistical comparisons. INTERVENTIONS: Quality of life questionnaire. MAIN VARIABLES: The main variables collected were demographic data, hospital stay, mortality, family reintegration and health-related quality of life. RESULTS: We evaluated the clinical records of 101 patients, 37 in the pacemaker-group and 64 in the volumetric respirator-group. Our results show that ICU admission duration and hospitalization as well as family reintegration, without significant differences, with a tendency to greater survival in pacemaker patients (18.18 versus 9.67 years by the Kaplan-Meier method, p<0.001). However, this difference becomes non-significant (p=0.06) after adjustment of the groups by age. Furthermore, better quality of life was found in these same patients with pacemakers in terms of security, communication, sociability, comfort and mobility in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Diaphragmatic pacemaker ventilation is an effective alternative to mechanical ventilation with similar efficacy that improve quality of life in patients with severe respiratory failure due to cervical spinal cord injury.

El paciente con lesión medular en el medio extrahospitalario / Patients with medullary lesions outside hospital

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[Acute transverse myelitis in systemic lupus erythematosus]. / Mielitis transversa aguda en el lupus eritematoso sistémico.

Acute transverse myelitis as complication of systemic lupus erythematosus is a known and well-characterized although uncommon clinical entity. We report here four cases of lupic myelitis collected at our hospital in the last few years and review the available literature of the last ten years, approximately the time when NMR became generally available. The clinical picture can be very variable and therefore, when facing a picture of acute myelitis, lupus should be included in the differential diagnosis; biochemistry evaluating the lupus "activity" is of poor diagnostic value, nuclear magnetic resonance is not conclusive for the etiologic diagnosis of myelitis and its prognosis has improved with therapy including pulses of steroid and immunosuppressant agents.

Treatment of chronic ventilatory failure using a diaphragmatic pacemaker.

We present our series of patients with chronic ventilatory failure treated with electrophrenic respiration: 13 males and nine females with a mean age of 12 +/- 11.5 years. The etiology was, 13 tetraplegia, five sequelae of surgical treatment of intracranial lesions, and four central alveolar hypoventilation. The mean duration of the conditioning period were 3-4 months. Eighteen patients (81.8%) achieved permanent, diaphragmatically-paced breathing with bilateral stimulation and in four (18.2%) patients, pacing was only during sleep. Five patients died (22.7%): two during the hospital stay and three at home; two deaths had unknown cause and three were due respectively to, lack of at-home care, recurrence of an epidermoid tumor, and sequelae of accidental disconnection of the mechanical ventilation before beginning the conditioning period. Two cases were considered failures: One patient had transitory neurapraxia lasting 80 days, and the other had an ischemic spinal cord syndrome with progressive deterioration of the left-side response to stimulation. One patient had right phrenic nerve entrapment by scar tissue and four suffered infections. The follow-up periods since pacemaker implantation are currently: 1, 11 years; 4, 10 years, and 17, less than 5 years. The results of our experience demonstrate that complete stable ventilation can be achieved using diaphragmatic pacing and that it improves the prognosis and life quality of patients with severe chronic respiratory failure.

Transdiaphragmatic pressure in quadriplegic individuals ventilated by diaphragmatic pacemaker.

BACKGROUND: Electrophrenic pacing can be used in the management of ventilatory failure in quadriplegic patients. A study was undertaken to determine the pattern of transdiaphragmatic pressure (PDI) during the conditioning phase of electrophrenic pacing to see if it had a possible role in optimising the process of conditioning. METHODS: The tidal volume (TV) and PDI were measured in a group of six quadriplegic patients commencing ventilation by low frequency pulse stimulation (7-10 Hz) and low respiratory rate stimulation (< 10 breaths/min). RESULTS: Tidal volume increased between baseline and month 1 (4.33 ml/kg, p < 0.001) and between months 1 and 2 (3.00 ml/kg, p < 0.05) and then stabilised. PDI was higher during bilateral diaphragmatic pacing (mean (SD) 1.73 (0.30) kPa) than with either left (1.15 (0.34) kPa) or right (0.86 (0.37) kPa) unilateral pacing. PDI varied throughout the observation period, probably by interaction between recovery of the diaphragmatic fibres and the pacing regimen. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with quadriplegia due to high spinal injury can be maintained with ventilation by continuous electrophrenic pacing. The control criteria used in this study for pacing were tidal volume and the patient's tolerance, and the PDI measurement did not contribute any additional information to help with managing the conditioning process.

[Cardiovascular changes in cervical spinal cord lesions]. / Alteraciones cardiovasculares en los lesionados medulares cervicales.

A study is performed on the alterations in blood pressure and heart rate in 36 patients with cervical spinal cord lesions with as evolution of at least 5 years. We have found fluctuations in blood pressure and heart rate when passing from lying to standing position, before urinating and from one day to another. The incidence of autonomic dysreflexia crisis is observed in 178 patients suffering cervical spinal cord lesions of the Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, Toledo. This is a scarcely known entity by physicians in general and the patient's life very often depends on its diagnosis and correct treatment.