Latest news with #tetraplegic
CBC
19-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Outaouais football player paralyzed in pool mishap facing lengthy recovery
Théodore Côté had a bright future ahead of him when he dove into a pool the night before Canada Day. The 17-year-old was fooling around with friends at the start of a summer break before starting his college football career with the Cégep de l'Outaouais Griffons at the largest public college in the Outaouais region. But he never emerged from the water on his own, having fractured two vertebrae in his neck and compressed his spinal cord. Côté was left tetraplegic, with limited function and sensation in his limbs, and rushed to Sacré-Coeur Hospital in Montreal for emergency surgery. More than two weeks later he remains at a Montreal rehabilitation centre, with his mother unable to transfer him closer to home in Gatineau, Que., because the nearest suitable hospital is in Ottawa, part of the Ontario health-care system. "We tried to be able to have him close to home … but unfortunately because we're Quebec citizens we have to go with what Quebec offers," said Vania Pacheco, Côté's mother. After Côté was denied a transfer to Ottawa, Pacheco had to take a leave of absence from her job to care for her son in Montreal. "I can't work so I can be with him, because he's all alone," Pacheco said. With a daughter in Gatineau, Pacheco is commuting frequently between the two cities. "It's difficult," she said, choking back tears. 'Long journey ahead' Amid the heartbreak, her son's positive attitude has been an inspiration, Pacheco said. "He's incredible, he's just so strong," she said. "He has this courage, he's a fighter." While it is too early to predict if Côté will walk again, his mother hopes that with intensive physio and rehab, he may regain some mobility. "Even though it's a severe accident, he has this positivity that he's going to get out of it and be OK," she said. "He knows he has a long journey ahead of him.... He will fight to the end." But mounting bills have imposed a huge stress on the family, she said. "Everything is so expensive, it's just crazy." 'Life can change in an instant' Now the Outaouais football community has rallied behind Côté, with an online fundraiser collecting over $47,000 to cover specialized physiotherapy and psychological support. And his teammates say they will support Côté's recovery. "We'll always be here," said Manix Piché. Before of the accident, Côté's friends had been doing flips and tricks in the water, but they think he might have misjudged the depth, which was only around four feet, said teammate Alexis Guitard. "We didn't expect it," Guitard said, adding that Côté's injury has impacted the whole team. Guitard and Piché both agreed that the accident had changed their attitude toward risk. "It's important to have fun, but to realize the consequences that can happen with your actions, that's what we learned," Piché said. "Life can change in an instant."
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
China launches first-ever invasive brain-computer interface clinical trial — Tetraplegic patient could skillfully operate racing games after just three weeks
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. China's first in-human clinical trials of an invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) have launched, according to state media reports. This makes China second in the BCI race after the U.S., with its Neuralink technology, to enter the clinical trial phase for invasive BCI technology. Ahead of upcoming larger-scale trials, this new BCI from the Shanghai-based Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT) already seems to be a success. The country's Global Times states that a tetraplegic patient has already been using its BCI to control a computer, play racing games, play chess, and more. "Now I can control the computer with my thoughts. It feels like I can move at will," said the unnamed tetraplegic to Global Times. Some background to the patient's condition is provided by the source. Apparently, the patient lost both arms and both legs in a high-voltage electrical accident 13 years ago. The man received an implant on March 25. Recovery was speedy, and just two to three weeks later, he was 'able to control electronic devices with his mind, skillfully operating racing games, chess, and other programs,' says the source. It isn't that long ago, but the report assures that 'no infection or electrode failure reported to date.' Progressing from computer interaction, the scientific team hopes to let its first patient get involved with robotic arm movement control trials. Added dexterity like this could enhance the patient's quality of life. Longer-term plans involve interactions and training with robots, and similar intelligent devices that span the computer–physical realms. The Chinese state media reports aren't without their characteristic boasts. Comparing the new CEBSIT BCI with Neuralink, they say the former has 'a cross-sectional area only 1/5 to 1/7 that of Neuralink's electrodes and flexibility over 100 times greater.' It adds that the neural electrodes used are the smallest and most flexible in the world. Their size and flexibility are better for the patient, so they barely perceive the implant's presence. Moreover, such compact BCIs will minimize damage to surrounding brain tissue and provide better prognosis over the longer term. Overall, the CEBSIT implant is said to be 26mm in diameter and under 6mm thick. With larger-scale clinical trials now greenlit, BCI systems such as this one from CEBSIT are expected to gain regulatory approval and enter the market in China by 2028. If these trials are a fair indicator of BCI benefits, they could 'significantly improve the quality of life for millions of patients with complete spinal cord injuries, bilateral upper limb amputations and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,' notes the Global Times. We were a little surprised by the 'first' claims from CEBSIT today. Previously, we have reported another Chinese BCI project that seemed to be in its advanced stages. In April, we covered the news that a patient in China had been enjoying playing complex PC games such as Black Myth: Wukong and Honor of Kings using the Beinao-1 BCI implant. However, more recent reports suggest the Beinao-2 is being tested in monkeys and will be ready for human trials by the end of 2025, so they've been beaten to the large-scale human trials milestone by CEBSIT. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
