MIT engineers design a soft, implantable ventilator

Breathing is something that many of us do on a regular basis.Our diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle just below the ribcage, moves slowly and steadily behind the scenes. It pushes down to create a vacuum for the lungs to expand and draw in air, then relaxes as air is pushed out.

As the primary muscle responsible for our ability to breathe, the diaphragm automatically controls our lung capacity.However, when the diaphragm’s function is compromised, breathing becomes difficult.

Ongoing stomach brokenness can happen in individuals with ALS, solid dystrophy, and other neuromuscular illnesses, as well as patients with loss of motion, and harm to the phrenic nerve, which animates the stomach to contract.Engineers at MIT have created a new proof-of-concept design with the intention of one day increasing the diaphragm’s life-sustaining function and enhancing lung capacity for individuals with diaphragm dysfunction.