How Medtronic Wants to & #039;Evolve & #039; Spinal Stimulation

Medtronic seeks to prove high-dose spinal stimulation just as good as low-dose About 9,000 patients with chronic lower back and leg pain have had a personal trial of Medtronic’s Evolve workflow to help their physicians decide how much high- and/or low-spinal cord stimulation they need to manage pain. Now the company has launched an official postmarket trial of Evolve, which it recommends for use with its Intellis implantable neurostimulator. Evolve received FDA approval and the CE Mark last year. Medtronic hopes that the Vectors study will produce step-by-step instructions for physicians on how to best use Intellis’ high- and low-dose stimulation to meet each patient’s needs, according to Matt Thomas, general manager of the company’s stimulation and early interventions business. Low-dose stimulation used to be the only option for spinal cord stimulation, and some patients couldn’t tolerate the sensations it produced. Despite its name, high-dose stimulation does not yield such strong feelings or immediate pain relief, Thomas said. “It gives them versatility,” he said of Intellis. “It doesn’t lock them into one versus the other.” The trial will begin with high-dose stimulation, and depending on the patient’s response, the physician can make recommendations on how to change the dosage. The patient controls the amount of stimulation received. “If the patient isn’t feeling the pain relief, you can adjust the high dose or you can do low-dose stimulation,...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Implants Source Type: news