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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — At 80-years old, Gary Luna is attempting to master movements in rehabilitation therapy he has not been able to perform in years.
Luna had two strokes that impaired the movement of his right arm and hand. His family said doctors warned that he might never regain full function, even with therapy.
“It’s been so hard the last two years,” Katherine Hagge, Gary’s daughter, said. “I want it to be easier for him again.”
Now, an implanted vagus nerve stimulation device is giving Luna and his family new hope. Vagus nerve stimulators have previously been used to treat people with epilepsy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also approved the technology for use alongside rehabilitation therapy for certain stroke survivors.
The device sends electrical pulses along the vagus nerve to the brain. When paired with repetitive rehabilitation exercises, the stimulation is designed to help the brain build and strengthen connections involved in arm and hand movement.
Simon Wright, an ENT surgeon in Des Moines, has performed hundreds of vagus nerve stimulator implant procedures. Luna, however, was his first stroke patient to receive one.
“For this kind of thing to happen, it almost seems miraculous,” Wright said.
Wright said the device, which is about the size of a key fob, could provide an option for people frustrated by long-term impairment after a stroke.
“I think Gary will think this is miraculous, and many other people like him,” Wright said. “It’s pretty impressive to see the change that he’s had already. It’s striking.”
Luna is undergoing what his therapists call a six-week “rehab boot camp” at Yonker Rehabilitation Center in Des Moines following the implant procedure. After one week of therapy, Luna’s handwriting had improved from nearly illegible marks to recognizable letters.
It’s expected the procedure will grow in popularity in the next 3 to 6 months in Iowa. Doctors say there are already patients approved for the implant procedure.
“We’re looking forward to seeing patients who thought they had plateaued, who may not have, who now have option,” says Dr. Dan Shamir, medical director at Younker Rehabilitation Center.
Luna’s results are still unfolding, and doctors do not yet know how broadly vagus nerve stimulation could be used for other stroke-related impairments.
“Until a study proves it, we don’t know,” Wright said. “But if it can help with an upper arm, maybe it can help with a lower leg. And if it can help with a lower leg, maybe it can help with a voice box.”
For Hagge, she believes her father’s progress will help other stroke survivors and their families.
“I keep telling him, ‘You’re a trailblazer,’ and he just laughs,” Hagge said. “But I’m like, ‘No, really, Dad. This could bring a lot of help to people.’”
Stroke survivors – 6 months post-stroke — are eligible for the new device. Doctors say the implant can improve function by two to three times.
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