A first ever surgery implant in South Carolina

Prisma Health says a successful surgical procedure, the first of its kind in the state, has implanted a diaphragm pacer into a patient who experienced a life-changing spinal cord injury.  The injury occurred in an automobile accident, but Prisma Health says the patient has been discharged and is recovering at home.  He was identified as Tevin Johnson, a Sumter native who underwent surgery at Prisma Health Richland Hospital.  The device helps rebuild the strength of the diaphragm and allows the patient to breathe without a ventilator.