Rare phrenic nerve stimulation surgery helps 38-year-old man breathe independently after nearly 6 months on ventilator support

Doctors in Mumbai have helped a 38-year-old man regain the ability to breathe independently after he spent nearly six months on a ventilator following a severe spinal cord injury. The case is being seen as an important development in neuro-rehabilitation and long-term critical care recovery.


The patient, a resident of Hyderabad, had suffered a devastating cervical spinal cord injury in a major accident that completely damaged his spinal cord in the neck region. The injury left him paralysed below the neck, robbed him of movement and sensation in his limbs, took away bowel and bladder control, and most critically, made him incapable of breathing on his own.


For months, he remained trapped between hospital walls and ventilator machines. Initially admitted to an intensive care unit in Hyderabad, he spent nearly two months on continuous ventilator support. Doctors reportedly informed the family that long-term ventilator dependence was likely unavoidable. Despite transfer to another healthcare centre, his condition showed little improvement, and he remained dependent on assisted breathing for almost six months.


Refusing to give up hope, the family reached out to Dr Manish Baldia, Consultant Functional Neurosurgeon at Wockhardt Hospitals Mumbai Central, known for his expertise in advanced neuromodulation and phrenic nerve stimulation procedures.


The patient was transported from Hyderabad to Mumbai in a specially equipped ventilator ambulance under strict medical supervision. Once in Mumbai, doctors attempted gradual ventilator weaning, but tests revealed dangerously high carbon dioxide retention levels, confirming that the patient still could not breathe adequately on his own.


That’s when Dr Baldia and his team decided to perform a highly specialised phrenic nerve stimulation surgery a cutting-edge procedure designed to stimulate the diaphragm by activating the phrenic nerve, the nerve responsible for breathing.


The results stunned even the caregivers.


Within just three to four days after surgery, the patient began showing signs of improvement. By the third week, he was stable enough to be shifted out of the ICU.


“In high cervical spinal cord injuries, the communication between the brain and the breathing muscles gets disrupted. Through phrenic nerve stimulation, we attempt to bypass that interruption and directly activate the diaphragm so the patient can gradually regain independent breathing,” explained Dr Manish Baldia.


He added, “While this surgery does not reverse the spinal cord injury, restoring the ability to breathe independently transforms the patient’s quality of life. It helps them communicate, participate in rehabilitation, interact socially, and reduce prolonged dependence on critical care.”


Though the patient remains bedridden because of the severity of the spinal cord damage, the transformation has been life-changing. He can now breathe independently, speak comfortably with family members, and even sing again something unimaginable just weeks earlier.


Doctors say the surgery is believed to be Mumbai’s first phrenic nerve stimulation procedure performed to restore independent breathing in a patient with severe cervical spinal cord injury, opening new doors for advanced neuro-rehabilitation in India.


The success story is now offering renewed hope to families of patients living with devastating spinal cord injuries, central hypoventilation syndrome, and head injuries proving that even after months on a ventilator, breathing freedom may still be possible.