[Comprehensive management of a child with a post-traumatic brain stem and spinal cord injury. A case study and presentation of current therapeutic modalities].

Less than twenty years ago, a high spinal cord injury accompanied by paralysis of the diaphragm and the resulting apnea and tetraplegia led to certain death within a short time after the trauma, mostly due to respiratory complications associated with ventilatory therapy in hospitals. The objective of this paper is to present the case of a paediatric brain stem trauma with spinal cord injury, consisting of spinal cord rupture in the upper cervical segment. Thanks to appropriate management at all treatment stages (prompt, fully professional assistance in the ambulance, followed by appropriate management at ICU), the child survived. Owing to currently available technical solutions, the boy has achieved considerable self-dependence and an opportunity of having post-traumatic complications treated using a diaphragm pacing stimulator and a baclofen pump. The report presents therapeutic problems encountered in children with post-traumatic spinal cord injury, emphasizing technical opportunities of managing diaphragm paralysis, as exemplified by the five-year treatment and rehabilitation process of a boy with spinal cord injury at C1 level managed at the University Children's Hospital of Cracow, Poland, in whom phrenic nerve stimulation was employed. The implanted stimulator and a specially constructed controller have allowed the boy to achieve mobility using a wheelchair, being able to use a PC and being taught by an individual teacher at home despite his tetraparesis. Recurrent respiratory tract infections and occasional decubitus required periodic hospitalizations. As the patient grew, in consequence of uncontrolled sudden increases of muscle tone of the trunk spine. Increased muscle tone was increasingly resistant to pharmacotherapy and negatively affected the effectiveness of home rehabilitation. In consequence, a decision was made to implant an intraspinal baclofen pump.