Westchester Medical Center First in the Nation to Offer AeroPace Therapy to Help Trauma Patients Wean from Mechanical Ventilation

VALHALLA, N.Y. - (September 10, 2026) - Westchester Medical Center (WMC), a member of Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), today announced it is the first hospital in the nation to implement AeroPace for trauma patients, providing a new option to help critically ill patients strengthen the muscles needed to breathe independently and wean from mechanical ventilation faster. The therapy expands the advanced critical care resources available to trauma patients at WMC, home to the region's only Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center.

"Helping patients recover their ability to breathe on their own is one of the most meaningful steps in critical care," said Kartik Prabhakaran, MD, MHS, FACS, Chair, Department of Surgery and Director of the Trauma Consortium at WMCHealth. "By bringing AeroPace to trauma patients, WMCHealth is advancing care for our most critically ill patients and reinforcing our commitment to providing access to innovative, world-class care close to home."

AeroPace is an innovative technology that uses neurostimulation - the power of the brain and nervous system - to activate and strengthen the diaphragm, which is the primary muscle that controls natural breathing. Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving intervention for patients who cannot breathe on their own, supporting more than two million U.S. patients each year with severe illness or injury. However, because the ventilator does the work of the diaphragm, it can weaken quickly during prolonged ventilator support by as much as 50% in only one day on ventilation.^[1] This can make it harder for patients to breathe independently when ventilator support is no longer needed, and lead to increased risk of infection and mortality.^[2]

"Introducing AeroPace strengthens the care we provide to trauma patients and raises the standard of medical excellence for the entire region," said Jordan M. Kirsch, DO, FACS, Trauma Medical Director at WMC. "By helping to reduce the effects of prolonged intubation, this technology supports better recovery and improved outcomes for some of our most vulnerable patients."

AeroPace is a temporary, minimally invasive system designed to stimulate the phrenic nerves that control the diaphragm. While patients continue receiving ventilator support, the therapy helps keep the diaphragm active, supporting the transition to independent breathing. AeroPace has been shown to help patients transition off the ventilator faster and more effectively.^[3] In the clinical study supporting its FDA approval, patients on mechanical ventilation for 96 hours or more with two failed weaning attempts got off the ventilator 43% faster (three fewer days) with AeroPace than with standard of care alone.^[3][4]

^[1] Levine, S. (2008) Rapid disuse atrophy of diaphragm fibers in mechanically ventilated humans. NEJM; 358(13): 1327-1355. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa070447.
^[2] Pu, H. (2023) Modifiable risk factors for ventilator associated diaphragmatic dysfunction: a multicenter observational study. BMS Pulm Med.; 23(1): 343. doi: 10.1186/s12890-023-02633-y.
^[3] Dres, M. (2025) Temporary transvenous diaphragm neurostimulation for weaning from mechanical ventilation (RESCUE-3). Am J Respir Crit Care Med.; doi: 10.1164/rccm.202505-1056OC
^[4] Ruan, S. Y. (2020) Dynamic changes in prognosis with elapsed time on ventilators among mechanically ventilated patients. Ann Am Thorac Soc; 17(6): 729-735. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201908-646OC.

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