Abbott is a giant medical technology company, but it kept understated at CES. We had a chance to learn a bit of what the company is doing at the world’s premiere gadget conference, which is the Proclaim XR low dose neuromodulation implant. The Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulator can run for ten years using its […]
Tag: Pain Management
CES 2020: ReliefHeat Smartphone Controlled Heat Pad
Many people with back pain make use of heat pads and other heating devices to relieve some of the discomfort they’re feeling. This typically requires being tethered to a wall outlet for power. ReliefHeat is a battery powered device, the booth for which we discovered at CES 2020, that can be worn throughout the day […]
Protective Membrane for Pacemakers to Make Replacement Surgeries Easier
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a cellulose membrane to cover and protect implantable devices, such as pacemakers. The material can reduce fibrotic build up and make subsequent surgical removal of implants much easier. So far, the pouch-like device has been tested successfully in pigs, and the researchers hope to apply for clinical trials in […]
Senza Omnia Stimulator for Chronic Pain, with Widest Frequency Range, FDA Approved
Nevro, a firm based in Silicon Valley, won FDA approval for its Senza Omnia spinal cord neurostimulation system for chronic pain management. The device can deliver traditional spinal cord stimulation at frequencies below 1.5 kHz, along with Nevro’s proprietary HF10 stimulation that goes up to 10 kHz. Both low and high frequency therapies can even […]
Injectable Electrodes for Neuromodulation
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed an injectable flexible electrode that can aid in neuromodulation therapy, potentially replacing more rigid electrodes that do not mesh well with soft tissues. The injectable material consists of a silicone gel and small metal particles, and it forms a flexible bolus when injected around a target nerve. […]
Abbott Proclaim XR 10-Year Spinal Cord Stimulator FDA Approved for Chronic Pain
Abbott won approval for and is releasing a new spinal cord stimulator that can treat chronic pain for up to ten years without requiring a recharge. The Proclaim XR delivers a low dose version of Abbott’s unique BurstDR waveform, which supposedly delivers a signal similar to the brain’s own patterns. Instead of overdriving the pain […]
Measuring Pain Levels Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Knowing how much pain a patient is in can help clinicians to diagnose a condition, understand the course of a disease, and set a course for treatment. While simply hearing patients out works pretty well for the general population, unconscious and non-communicative people are not properly assessed all too often. Now, researchers from MIT, Harvard, […]
Augmented Reality System Allows Clinicians to ‘See’ Patient Pain
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a system that allows clinicians to “see” patient pain in real time. The technology could potentially be very useful in objectively measuring pain and identifying it in patients who have trouble communicating their symptoms. Consisting of augmented reality glasses for the clinician and a cap containing brain […]
EmoGraphy by Philips Monitors and Predicts Stress: Interview with Navin Natoewal
Philips has recently launched EmoGraphy, a stress management technology to measure someone’s stress levels and then predict them an hour into the future. The company worked out the sensing and algorithm calculation methods, and are now licensing their technology to firms that want to expand it into their devices. We met with Navin Natoewal, the […]
Hydrogel Harvests Nitric Oxide to Stop Damage from Rheumatoid Arthritis
Excess nitric oxide (NO) in the body is involved in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. Reducing the amount of NO may lead to a new therapeutic approach for a variety of conditions. Researchers at the Pohang University of Science & Technology in South Korea have developed an NO-scavenging nanogel and tested it in mice […]
Looking to the Future of Neuro Devices: Exclusive Interview with Alcyone Lifesciences CEO PJ Anand
Alcyone Lifesciences is a medical technology company based out of Lowell, MA, which specializes in central nervous system (CNS) drug delivery platforms for targeted infusions of the brain or spinal cord. Their Thecaflex DRx System was recently awarded Breakthrough Device designation by the FDA, for spinal infusion of therapeutic medications. Medgadget had the opportunity to […]
ON-Q* with Bolus Pump Cleared in U.S. for Pain Management
Opioid pain killers taken postoperatively are a common way for people to get on the road to becoming drug addicts. Targeted solutions that avoid exposing patients to opioids in the first place may do a great deal to avoid the onset of drug dependency. Avanos Medical, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, has been making a popular […]
New CNS Drug Delivery System by Alcyone Lifesciences Given Breakthrough Designation by FDA
Alcyone Lifesciences recently obtained Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA for their novel implantable intrathecal bolus drug delivery catheter and port system, the ThecaFlex DRx System. The system is intended for use in conditions that require prolonged medication administration directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), such as some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, these patients […]
The iovera° Cryoanalgesia Device: Interview with Tim Still, CEO of Myoscience
Myoscience, a medtech company based in California, has developed the iovera° cryoanalgesia device. The device was FDA cleared in 2013, with an additional clearance in 2017 for knee pain, and uses cryotherapy to freeze peripheral nerves to reduce pain without affecting nearby tissues. The company claims that the device is a useful alternative to opioid […]
BewellConnect MyTens PRO: A Medgadget Review
BewellConnect’s MyTens PRO is a mobile and wireless TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) device that has been medically approved and cleared by the FDA. TENS is a widely known technique that provides pain relief or muscle stimulation using mild electrical currents. The typical TENS unit comes with a handheld central control unit, roughly the size […]
Medtronic’s RF Ablation Platform FDA Cleared to Control Pain
Medtronic won FDA clearance for its Accurian RF system for ablation of nerve tissues. The system delivers radiofrequency signals to heat up targeted nerves, in the process soothing the pain associated with those nerves. Following ablation, the tissue is no longer capable of generating the pain signals, so if the targeting is done correctly the […]
Compact, Consumer “Stemoscope” Recently Launched: A Medgadget Review
While it is not intended to be used as a medical device or diagnostic tool, Hulu Devices has created a stethoscope for consumer use. The device itself looks like simply the head of a stethoscope, and is about the size of a watch face. Connection to this device is via Bluetooth to the Stemoscope app […]
Nevro High Frequency Neurostimulation for Pain Control: CES 2019
Electrical neurostimulators may look alike and even work similarly to each other, but differences in how their energy is delivered can have significant effect on a therapy’s effectiveness. Nevro, a Silicon Valley company, has developed a high frequency spinal cord stimulation technology that avoids some of the common problems associated with other neurostimulators. The Nevro […]
NeuroMetrix Introduces AI for Pain Relief at CES 2019
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a therapy that has been around for decades. It is used to treat pain and a few other conditions, but over those decades it has gotten a bit stale. New companies, though, are taking TENS therapy to a new level and NeuroMetrix is one of the leaders in this […]
Advanced Wireless and Battery-Free Optogenetics Device to Control Neuronal Activation
Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed an advanced optogenetics device that can stimulate multiple areas of the brain at once and control the intensity of emitted light. The miniaturized device is wireless and battery-free, and the researchers hope that it will pave the way to treating severe neurological disorders and controlling chronic pain. […]