Electrical Stimulation of Eye Blink in Individuals with Acute XXXX : Progress toward a Bionic Blink.

@entity3541 @entity1 @entity697 @entity735
BACKGROUND: Elicitation of eye closure and other movements via electrical stimulation may provide effective treatment for @entity3541 . The authors performed a @entity1 feasibility study to determine whether transcutaneous neural stimulation can elicit a blink in individuals with @entity697 and to obtain feedback from @entity1 regarding the tolerability of surface electrical stimulation for daily blink restoration. METHODS: Forty individuals with acute unilateral @entity3541 , HB grades 4 through 6, were prospectively studied between 6 and 60 days of onset. Unilateral stimulation of zygomatic @entity735 was achieved with brief bipolar, charge-balanced pulse trains, delivered transcutaneously by adhesive electrode placement; results were recorded on a high-speed video camera. The relationship between stimulation parameters and cutaneous sensation was analyzed using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale. RESULTS: Complete eye closure was achieved in 55 percent of @entity1 using stimulation parameters reported as tolerable. In those individuals, @entity735 was observed at an average current of 4.6 mA (  1.7; average pulse width of 0.7 ms, 100 to 150 Hz), with complete closure requiring a mean of 7.2 mA (  2.6). CONCLUSIONS: Transcutaneous facial nerve stimulation may @entity735 in a majority of @entity1 with acute @entity3541 . Although individuals varied widely in their reported degrees of discomfort from blink-eliciting stimulation, most of them indicated that such stimulation would be tolerable if it could restore eye closure. These @entity1 would therefore benefit from a biomimetic device to facilitate eye closure until the recovery process is complete. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.
