Christopher Reeve Begins Breathing Without Respirator

Arizona Republic and the New York Times ^ | March 13, 2003 7:00AM Pacific Time | Wire Staff

[ewing]

Doctors have implanted elctrodes in Chris Reeve's diaphragm in an experimetn designed to enable the (partially) paralyzed actor to breathe on his own, hospital officials said Thursday.

Reeve and Drs. Raymond Onders and Anthony DiMarco planned to talk about the procedure later Thursday at University Hospitals, hospital spokesman Eric Sandstrom said.

The results of the operation are promising, Onders told the New York Times.

The newspaper said Onder performed the surgery at University Hospital of Cleveland.

Nursing supervisor Nancy Funk would not confirm early Thursday that Reeve had recieved treatment at the hospital.

[ewing]

Supes is only one of 35 in the country getting this procedure.. (according to the FDA)

The guy is a flaming lib, but I give him credit for turning his body into a living research experiment..

[Frank_Discussion]

Kinda how I feel. Good for him.

[ewing]

I like to see people challenge the limits of human potential and succeed no matter what their political persuasion is.

[stanz]

Me, too. He has been very brave.

[Conservababe]

I simply do not understand all the hype of this procedure. Over twenty years ago, our neuro surgeon implanted this same devise in a woman paralysed from a fall.

As a Respiratory Therapist, I learned to operate the diaphramic pacer in weaning the patient from the ventilator. Perhaps they have refined the procedure and equipment, but it is certainly nothing new.

By the way, the patient could not tolerate the pacer. It was as if she had continued hiccoughs. She elected to die.

[ewing]

Who decides on the selection process when the FDA is only giving out 30 of these new operations?

[Sloth]

He's been courageously getting by without a brain for years now.

[ewing]

His wife must be estatic, being able to kiss him on the lips now..

[ewing]

Was he always a far out liberal, or did he just become one recently?

[Mr Crontab]

That's a classy comment...

[dd5339]

Reeve's is also a poster child for stem cell research and fetal tissue implants. I wonder how many babies have been killed to help this guy walk again?

Semper Fi

[Conservababe]

>Who decides on the selection process when the FDA is only giving out 30 of these new operations?

I have no idea of these evidently new pacers. My experience with diaphramatic pacers was in the mid eighties. Our neuro surgeon just ordered it from a medical supply company. The article seems to imply that this is a brand new medical procedure, and it is not.

[ewing]

Didn't he critcize the President a year and a half ago during that debate?

[ewing]

I would be interested to see who else made 'the list.'

Of course I can understand the PR value of Superman breathing free and on his own.

[Conservababe]

I loathe Reeves. He tried to hijack the charities to pour money into research instead of services and equipment. Of course, he has the money to hire and buy the best to maintain a high quality of life for himself. He is a greedy and selfish SOB.

[dd5339]

He was very critical of the decision President Bush made regarding stem cell research.

Regarding the research that is being done to repair the damage without using fetal stem cells or fetal tissue I think that is outstanding.

Semper Fi

[cabbieguy]

A little kryptonite under his pillow would be a blessing.

[steve-b]

He tried to hijack the charities to pour money into research instead of services and equipment.

Which is (to a reasonable extent) the correct approach. The alternative would have given us the very best in free iron lungs for modern-day polio patients.

[WaveThatFlag]

My thoughts exactly. I have a close friend who had a similiar accident and has spent a lot of time with Reeves. According to my friend, Chris only grows more self-absorbed as the years go by. God tests all of us. The immoral will always ignore the means or consequences to protect their self-interest. In any case, nobody ever walked to Heaven.

[tuckrdout]

Was this procedure made possible by clone experiments? Stem Cell experiments?