Perihan smiling while using the Avery system!

Perihan sustained a spinal cord injury at the neck level in a fall down a mobile staircase. Perihan’s neurosurgeon Professor Sedat Cagli, at Ege University Hospital, Izmir Turkey, told her about the Avery Diaphragm Pacemaker, and in February 2012 she was implanted. Thirty days later, she began using the pacer, and almost ten years later, she paces 12 hours per day.

Since receiving the pacer, Perihan is able to ride her wheelchair rather than being confined to her bed hooked up to mechanical ventilation. She received physical therapy and is now able to walk in short distances (9-10 steps). She also gained the ability to talk and can eat by herself sitting in 75-degree angle.  Her quality of life has improved significantly. In her free time, Perihan likes to play with her smart phone, and she likes to talk and communicate to others both on the phone and in social media.

 

The Avery Diaphragm Pacemaker is an implanted phrenic nerve or diaphragm stimulator. It consists of surgically implanted electrodes and receivers with an external transmitter and antennas.

It can be implanted either cervically or thoracically using minimally-invasive techniques such as video-assisted (VATS) or thoracoscopic approaches.

The Avery Diaphragm Pacemaker is the only diaphragm pacing system to have full premarket approval (PMA) from the US FDA and CE Marking privileges under the European Active Implantable Medical Device Directive for adult and pediatric use.

In addition, using small implanted radiofrequency receivers rather than electrode wires that pass directly through the skin may decrease the risk of infection and ongoing wound care management issues.

Avery has been commercially distributing Diaphragm Pacemakers since the early 1970’s. Since then, more than 2,000 people have been implanted in over 40 countries establishing an unsurpassed record of safety and reliability. Due to their high reliability and cost effectiveness, the Avery pacers are reimbursed by Medicare and most private and government insurance around the world.

To learn more about the benefits of the Avery pacers for those with a high spinal cord injury, central sleep apnea or diaphragm paralysis, please contact us by mail, phone or through our website.

 

Source: ABD-PP-025, Rev B 06/2021