Breath Synchronized Abdominal Muscle Stimulation to Facilitate Ventilator Weaning: a Pilot Study

In the U.S. over 500,000 patients have difficulty weaning from mechanical ventilation every year. These patients cost the health care system $16 billion annually and have an increased risk of medical complications and morbidity. A major factor responsible for weaning failure is the imbalance between decreased respiratory muscle strength and excessive respiratory load. This study includes an investigational device that applies electrical stimulation to the abdominal muscles in synchrony with exhalation. This is hypothesized to improve the strength of the respiratory muscles. The long term goal of this project is to determine whether this approach can reduce the number of days taken for patients to wean from mechanical ventilation.