2000 Volume 37 Issue 8 Pages 533-537
A 57-year-old male who was diagnosed with pontine infarction and locked-in syndrome was admitted to our rehabilitation center. We mainly aimed to reduce the burden of the caregiver and to provide a means of expression for the patient. For dysphagia, we chose intermittent oro-esophageal tube feeding instead of continuous nasogastric tube feeding. For quadriplegia, prevention of contracture, sitting exercise, and instruction for his wife on how to transfer to a wheelchair were done. We then introduced the lift for moving the patient and the reclining wheelchair for locomotion. For the communicative disorder, we aimed to introduce a communication aid and an environmental control system (ECS). For this purpose, we developed a new input device for the communication aid and the ECS, triggered by the impedance change of the soft tissue that occurs with blinking. When the device was set at the orbital margin, the impedance change with blinking was clearly separate from both the impedance change from the blinking reflex and the impedance change from opening his mouth. He went back to his home after adjustments were made to his house and the usage of this input device had been mastered.
