First surgery in Europe to reconstruct the phrenic nerve

For the first time in Europe, the Institut Guttmann and the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital have performed a phrenic nerve reconstruction on two patients with tetraplegia. The phrenic nerve transfers the nerve impulse to the diaphragm, the main muscle responsible for breathing because it allows inspiration (when contracting) and expiration (when relaxing). The ultimate goal of this intervention is to restore the diaphragm's functionality over time and wean patients, partially or totally, from the mechanical ventilation.
With this intervention, the Institut Guttmann consolidates, as a CSUR center, its position as a hospital at the forefront of care programs for complex care in spinal cord injury.
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