The short-term spinal cord stimulation improves the rates of tracheal decannulation in patients of brain injury with disorders of consciousness.
Guanlin Huang, Dong Wang, Qiang Chen, Qi Zhong, Weilong Huang, Xiaoping Zhou, Qiuhua Jiang
BMC neuroscience May 26, 2025 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-025-00951-x via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractShort-term spinal cord stimulation (stSCS) significantly improves the likelihood of tracheal decannulation in brain injury patients with disorders of consciousness. In a retrospective study of 81 tracheotomized patients, those receiving stSCS had a decannulation rate of 50.0%, compared to 25.7% in the standard care group. The difference was statistically meaningful, indicating stSCS may be a useful neuromodulation strategy to help these patients breathe without a tracheostomy tube.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Retrospective cohort study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 81 |
| Population | Tracheotomized brain injury patients with disorders of consciousness |
| Intervention | short-term spinal cord stimulation |
| Keywords | Disorders of consciousnessdoc Tracheal decannulation Traumatic brain injury Tbi Neuromodulation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Short-term spinal cord stimulation significantly increased tracheal decannulation success rate compared to standard care (50.0% vs. 25.7%). |
Abstract
To evaluate the efficacy of short-term spinal cord stimulation (stSCS) in promoting tracheal decannulation among patients with brain injury-induced disorders of consciousness(DoC). A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 81 tracheotomized brain injury patients with DoC treated at Ganzhou People's Hospital between June 2021 and June 2022.Patients were divided into two groups: the stSCS group (n = 46) receiving stSCS intervention and the control group (n = 35) receiving standard care. Decannulation success rates were compared using chi-square tests. The stSCS group demonstrated a significantly higher decannulation rate compared to the control group (50.0%vs.25.7%, χ²=5.24, p = 0.022). stSCS significantly enhances tracheal decannulation success in brain injury patients with DoC, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic neuromodulation strategy. Not applicable.