Miracle Device Saves Teen from Lifetime on Ventilator

Miami, FL – In January, 18 year old Reggie Lamour’s neck was broken while he played in a rugby game in Naples. In one moment his life changed from that of an active, athletic young adult with a bright future to a lifetime of ventilator dependency. But there was hope. Lamour’s injury qualified him to receive a cutting edge implant.

On March 4, the surgery to implant the NeuRX™ Diaphragm Pacing System (DPS) was performed at Jackson Memorial Hospital, a state designated spinal cord rehabilitation center and the only hospital in South Florida authorized to perform the surgery.

“He’s doing so well. It is much better than the ventilator,” said Jolena Diudonne, Lamour’s mother. “It is a godsend. He can move around and has more mobility. We are so thankful because it helps him to breathe on his own without the ventilator. The Children’s Center, the Department of Health and the Jackson team are wonderful.” 

Lamour was brought to Jackson Memorial Hospital for surgery to implant the ground-breaking device. The system consists of four electrodes implanted in the diaphragm to stimulate the muscle and affect respiration. The machine is quiet, has no tubes, and is powered by a battery pack the size of a cell phone.

“Within 45 minutes after the surgery, the patient was able to be taken off the ventilator and breathe on his own with the implant,” said Patricia Byers, M.D., chief of surgical nutrition at Jackson, who is specially trained to insert the device. “The patient is now able to use it for two hours at a time, three times a day. The device gives these patients a lot more independence.”

Lamour received the Diaphragm Pacing System, commonly referred to as the DPS, through a program developed by the Broward Children’s Center and funded by the Florida Department of Health. The device was developed at Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals of Cleveland by manufacturer Synapse Biomedical, Inc.

Reggie Lamour, patient; Patricia Byers, M.D., chief of surgical nutrition at Jackson; Gabriel Ruiz, M.D., clinical instructor, UM/Jackson;Darren Hoffberger, M.D., medical director and pulmonologist, DPS program; LaShawn McCray, Broward Children’s Center medical operations officer and DPS program administrator; Michael Carifio, M.D., psychologist, Broward Children’s Center; Laura Reyes, director of therapy, Broward Children’s Center

Reggie Lamour and health professionals talk about groundbreaking surgery and device that frees him from a lifetime of dependency on a ventilator.

April

22, 2013, 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

The Center for Innovative Technology
605 NE 12th Avenue
Pompano Beach, FL  33060

Jackson is one of only four hospitals in the state authorized to perform the surgery.