Controlling chronic pain: New spinal cord stimulator automatically adjusts therapy
The Center for Special Pain Medicine at the Sportklinik Hellersen is one of the first clinics to implant an innovation for the treatment of chronic pain. The advantage for patients: the new Inceptiv neurostimulator, which is manufactured by Medtronic, adapts automatically to movements in everyday life and thus optimizes therapy.
Neurostimulation is one of the focal points of the wide range of therapies offered by the Center for Special Pain Medicine at the Sportklinik Hellersen. "This procedure is used for treatment-resistant back and leg pain, but also for many other indications in the area of chronic pain (CRPS, neuralgia, polyneuropathies, PAD, etc.)," explains Head Physician Dr. Wolfgang Welke, who performed the initial implantation of the new stimulator himself.
This innovation is made possible by a special closed-loop function that Medtronic has added to the stimulator. Unlike its predecessor, the stimulator not only interrupts the transmission of pain on its way from the spinal cord to the brain, it also monitors signals along the spinal cord and doses the stimulation accordingly depending on the situation. To do this, the stimulator (a six mm thin device that is implanted under the abdominal skin and connected to an MRI-capable electrode in the spinal canal) measures the activation of the neurons in the spinal cord 50 times per second, around the clock.
"My team and I always strive to offer our patients the latest technical standards and give them back as much quality of life as possible. A new innovation like this naturally contributes to this," explains Dr. Wolfgang Welke, Head Physician at the Center for Special Pain Medicine at the Sportklinik Hellersen. Two years ago, when the new VANTA stimulator came onto the market, the Sportklinik Hellersen was the first in Europe to install it. Dr. Wolfgang Welke is therefore proud to be one of the first clinics to offer the Inceptiv spinal cord stimulator.
"The electronics of the device have now shrunk to a size of around 4 x 4 cm and, at just six mm thick, this product is the thinnest in the world. The systems, which have been implanted since 2014, are also all MRI-capable. However, the Inceptiv neurostimulator is the only SCS system with CE marking that is also fully compatible with whole-body MRIs with 1.5 T and 3 T," explains the head physician.
The service life of the device and its handling have also been further improved. The Inceptiv's battery can be fully charged in around one hour and retains its battery capacity at 95 percent for 15 years. In comparison: with the predecessor, a replacement operation was necessary after eight to nine years due to the battery.
Last week, the Inceptiv Stimulator was implanted in the first patient at the Sportklinik Hellersen. A test electrode was first used to check whether the patient was suitable for this procedure. "The test gave us great hope and very good relief was achieved, so she opted for the implantation," reports Dr. Wolfgang Welke. This was followed a few days later by the "fine-tuning" of the stimulation by the technician. "As the device is new, Medtronic carried out the initial adjustment this time. But we can also do it ourselves. We have trained our own specialists to do this. This makes us and the patients more independent," explains Dr. Wolfgang Welke.
The patient now charges her device every few days via induction. She can switch it on or off with a remote control, activate various programs and use the closed-loop function. The system is implanted completely under the skin, comparable to a pacemaker, and can therefore be used in the shower and while swimming.
"Technical progress, the ability to innovate in medicine, is extremely important for patients. Inceptive means something like "beginning". We are at the beginning of a completely new
technology and that is very exciting. Neurostimulation is an important component when it comes to the treatment of therapy-resistant pain. The Center for Special Pain Medicine at the Sportklinik Hellersen will continue along this path in the future and remain at the cutting edge for patients. That is our motivation," explains the head physician.
Info box: What is neurostimulation?
Spinal cord stimulation interrupts the pain signals on their way from the spinal cord to the brain. The stimulation is delivered via a neurostimulator that is implanted under the skin. Gentle stimulation impulses are transmitted from the device to the spinal cord via thin insulated wires called electrodes.
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