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. 2021 Jun 1:357:109176.
doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109176. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Comparison of wire and disc electrodes to electrically activate the inspiratory muscles in dogs

Krzysztof E Kowalski  1 , Anthony F DiMarco  2
Affiliations

Comparison of wire and disc electrodes to electrically activate the inspiratory muscles in dogs

Krzysztof E Kowalski et al. J Neurosci Methods. .

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of wire versus disc electrodes to activate the inspiratory muscles via high frequency spinal cord stimulation.

Design: Animal study.

Setting: Research laboratory.

Animals: Dogs (n = 5) INTERVENTIONS: In separate trials, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) was applied via disc (DE) and two parallel wire electrodes (WE) on the ventral epidural space at the T2-T3 spinal region.

Main outcome measure(s): Airway pressure (P) and inspired volume (V) generation following stimulation with DE and WE were compared. Given our previous success with (DE), outcome variables with this electrode were used as our gold standard to which all comparisons were made.

Results: Two configurations of WE using monopolar stimulation (MS) resulted in P and V that were similar to those generated with MS with DE. For example, MS with parallel WE connected together to function as a common cathode (Y-connection) and a 2-channel system (separate cathodes with a remote ground), resulted in P that were 91 ± 6 and 92 ± 4%, respectively, of those achieved with DE (NS for both). Bipolar stimulation with parallel WE using a Y-connection and with a 2-channel system, resulted in P that were 96 ± 4 and 94 ± 4%, of the P achieved with DE (NS for both).

Conclusion(s): These results suggest that specific configurations of WE, which can be placed via minimally invasive techniques, provide comparable activation of the inspiratory muscles compared to DE and may be a useful technique to restore ventilatory support in persons with spinal cord injury.

Keywords: Functional electrical stimulation; Inspiratory muscles; Rehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: A. DiMarco is a founder of and has a significant financial interest in Synapse BioMedical, a manufacturer of diaphragm pacing systems and holds patents for spinal cord stimulation to restore cough and respiration (nos. 5,678,535; 5,911,218; 5,999,855; and 8,751,004). A. DiMarco and K. Kowalski hold the U.S. patents for technology related to the content of this manuscript, Respiratory Muscle Activation by Spinal Cord Stimulation (no. 8,352,036).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Relationships between stimulus amplitude and airway pressure generation (A, C) and inspired volume (B, D) during SCS with disc and wire electrodes during monopolar HF-SCS. The results from one animal are shown in upper panel; mean results are presented in lower panel. A schematic of this configuration is provided on the left side of the figure. See text for further explanation. * p < 0.05 if compared to disc lead
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Mean relationships between stimulus frequency and airway pressure generation (A) and inspired volume (B,) during SCS with disc and wire electrodes during monopolar SCS. See text for further explanation.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Mean relationships between stimulus amplitude and airway pressure generation (A) and inspired volume (B,) during SCS with disc and wire electrodes during bipolar HF-SCS (300Hz, 0.2ms). A schematic of this configuration is provided on the left side of the figure. See text for further explanation. * p < 0.05 compared to disc lead
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Mean relationships between stimulus frequency and airway pressure generation (A) and inspired volume (B,) during SCS with disc and wire electrodes during bipolar SCS. See text for further explanation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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