Operation helps paralysed Superman breathe unaided

Doctors have implanted electrodes in Superman star Christopher Reeve’s diaphragm in an experiment designed to enable the paralysed actor to breathe on his own.

The results of last month’s operation are promising, Dr Raymond Onders told The New York Times today.

The newspaper said Onders performed the surgery at University Hospitals of Cleveland.

Reeve, 50, has been on a respirator since he broke his neck in a horseback riding accident eight years ago. He is expected to discuss the surgery at a news conference in Cleveland later today.

The outpatient operation, called diaphragm pacing via laparoscopy, involves threading tiny wires through small incisions in the diaphragm. The wires connect a control box worn outside the body to electrodes on the diaphragm.

The control box sends a signal to the electrodes 12 times a minute, causing the diaphragm to contract and air to be sucked into the lungs. When the nerve is unstimulated, the diaphragm relaxes and the air is expelled.

Reeve, the third person to undergo the procedure, can currently breathe for more than two hours without the respirator, compared to 10 minutes before the surgery. As his diaphragm muscles get stronger, Reeve is expected to be able to do away with the respirator entirely.

Over time, Reeve will also be able to speak more normally and breathe naturally, Dr Onders said.