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The Cutting Edge

Rare Surgery Helps to Get LAPD Motorcycle Officer Back on His Bike




Top: When LAPD Officer Eric Holtz was involved in an accident, the damage to his phrenic nerve almost ended his career. Second: Holtz and his wife at their daughter’s wedding in 2017. Third: Illustration of the phrenic nerves (red). Bottom: Dr. Matthew Kaufman (left) and Dr. Reza Jarrahy (right) with Holtz in December 2017. Photos: (Top two) Courtesy of Eric Holtz; (Third) Shutterstock; (Bottom) Courtesy of UCLA Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

In July 2014, Officer Eric Holtz of the Los Angeles Police Department was riding his motorcycle in Van Nuys when a vehicle made a U-turn in front of him. Holtz collided with the rear of the vehicle and was thrown from his bike and over the vehicle, landing on his right side. He suffered bruises and soreness but no broken bones. But as the months went by, Holtz began to notice a shortness of breath, especially when he exercised. He didn’t connect the accident with his symptoms. “I thought it was age-related,” says Holtz, who now is 48.

Then, in December 2015, Holtz went to an urgent care facility for what he thought was a severe cold. Instead, a chest X-ray revealed that his diaphragm and right lung were paralyzed. The doctor told him he had a phrenic nerve injury. As a husband and father of three, he worried about how this condition would affect his family and his career.

The phrenic nerves, which originate in the neck and pass between the lung and heart to reach the diaphragm, transmit signals from the brain and spinal cord to cause the diaphragm to contract, resulting in expansion of the chest cavity and drawing of air into the lungs. Each year, approximately 5,000-to-10,000 Americans suffer an injury to their phrenic nerve, but many may not be aware of it. Neither may their doctors; the condition can be hard to diagnose. Though damage to the phrenic nerves is not always immediately apparent, the resulting scar tissue can, over time, compress the nerves.

Concerned that his physical condition might require him to take a desk job, or even early retirement, Holtz searched for a solution, finding UCLA Health’s phrenic nerve program, which offers reconstructive surgery specifically to repair the paralyzed diaphragm. Even more promising, a 2016 UCLA study had shown that 89 percent of patients who underwent phrenic nerve repair surgery had significant improvement in breathing and an increase in regular physical activities.

Holtz underwent the 2½-hour surgery at UCLA in October 2016. The surgery was performed by Reza Jarrahy, MD (FEL ’06), associate clinical professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, and Matthew Kaufman, MD, a New Jersey surgeon who regularly volunteers as assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to team up with Dr. Jarrahy for the specialized procedure.

Together, they removed the scar tissue around the injured right phrenic nerve in Holtz’s neck. Then they took a nerve from Holtz’s right leg to use as a bypass around the injured area, creating a clear route for the nerve signal from the brain to the diaphragm. After that, the wait began for the new nerve to regrow and form connections in the body, a process that can take a year or more.

“During this time, patients are encouraged to maintain a pulmonary rehabilitation program, including cardiovascular exercise to rebuild the diaphragm muscle,” Dr. Jarrahy says. “Also, a physical therapist with specialty training can help with diaphragm retraining to strengthen the muscle.”

Before surgery, Holtz felt light-headed after jogging just one minute. But six months post-surgery, he was able to slowly run a couple of miles without noticing any breathing problems. With his recovery well underway, he’s happy that he did his research and found treatment. Now, he can continue his career as a motorcycle officer.


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Spring 2018

Spring 2018
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IN THIS ISSUE
  • Shaping the Future
  • Rare Surgery Helps to Get LAPD Motorcycle Officer Back on His Bike
  • Mirror Neuron Activity Predicts People’s Decision-making in Moral Dilemmas
  • Deep Brain Waves Occur More Often during Navigation and Memory Formation
  • Stem Cells Offer Hope for Hair Growth
  • Genomic Blood Test Predicts Post-surgery Survival Rates for Advanced Heart Failure
  • Scientists Create Cells that Enable Sense of Touch
  • How Diabetes in Pregnancy Affects Baby’s Heart
  • Cancer Defense Mechanism Could Be Turned Back to Attack Tumors
  • Studying Development of Embryonic Heart Cells in Mice, Scientists Hope to Regenerate Damaged Tissue
  • Brain Trust
  • Gene Chaser
  • Gene Chaser Interview: Expanded Version
  • The L.A. Generation Xchange Project
  • Pain Like No Other
  • Game Changer
  • A Dreamer's Tale
  • Twice Blessed
  • Combat Medic
  • Awards & Honors | Spring 2018
  • In Memoriam | Spring 2018
  • RAP Stars
  • The Indelible Mark of the Rosenfeld Family
  • An Evening Remembering Leonard Nimoy
  • Inaugural C.G. Jung Symposium Explores Trauma and Healing
  • UCLA Promotes Empowered Aging with TEDxUCLA Salon
  • UCLA Department of Neurosurgery Welcomes New Chair
  • Grey Matters: Unveiling Mysteries of Brain Disease
  • Golden Portal Fundraiser Recognizes Tenacity
  • Gifts | Spring 2018
  • Leo & Me
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