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Background/Objective: A significant fraction of patients with cervical spinal cord injury suffer from respiratory muscle paralysis and dependence on chronic mechanical ventilation. In selected patients, diaphragm pacing (DP) through electrical stimulation of the phrenic nerves provides an alternative to mechanical ventilation with significant advantages in life quality.

Methods: A case report of an individual who successfully underwent DP using intramuscular diaphragm electrodes. A brief review of the state of the art of DP including the clinical benefits of DP, patient selection and evaluation, description of equipment, methods of transition from mechanical ventilation to DP, potential complications and side effects, long-term outcome, and potential future developments in this field is included.

Results: Several available DP systems are available, including conventional ones in which electrodes are positioned directly on the …