Extended Life Neurostimulator Cleared
A new neurostimulator device designed to treat patients with spinal cord stimulation (SCS), manufactured by St. Jude Medical, is the first extended-live primary cell system that will be available . With approvals for marketing in both Europe and the United States, sales for the EonC are expected to commence shortly.
The device simplifies treatment for those patients with complex trunk or limb neuropathic pain who either require or prefer a non-rechargeable medical device. The EonC offers the longest battery capacity of any primary cell neurostimulator. The company anticipates that availability of this system may increase the time between procedures to replace defunct devices.
The new device is very similar to a cardiac pacemaker, both in appearance and functioning. The device is intended to deliver mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord. This can either mask or interrupt the pain signal before it is transmitted to the brain.
The system is equipped with NeuroDynamix, a proprietary technology from St. Jude’s that supports increased efficiency of stimulation delivery. EonC was designed with constant current circuitry to automatically adjust requirements for power to deliver therapy consistently across time.
Additional features include high pulse and high power frequencies, which allow system adjustments to meet individual patient needs. Patients can also adjust therapeutic settings with eight target areas delineated which can be controlled simultaneously, as well as independently.
The EonC complements two of the products, already approved, in the St. Jude line of products that deliver SCS. Those include the EonMini, the smallest neurostimulator on the market and the Eon(R), a rechargeable device with high capacity. The new EonC, however, is the only constant-current 16 contact system available.
August 14, 2008 Related topics: Product Approval & Certification, Psychiatry & Neurology