A blog about what is new (and old) in the world of active implantable medical devices

Category Archives: AIMD Companies

Victhom Human Bionics’ Neurostep Implantable Closed-Loop Stimulator for Foot Drop

Posted on by Posted in Foot Drop, Muscular Stimulation, Victhom Human Bionics
Neurostep stimulator for drop-foot
Image Credit: Victhom Human Bionics

Victhom Human Bionics was founded in 2002 in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Canada. The company’s Neurobionix business unit develops its implantable closed-loop system devices.

The Neurostep® is a neurostimulator designed to be implanted into the patient’s leg. Electrodes are attached to the peripheral nerves responsible for sensing and stimulating the muscles that lift the foot during normal walking. In operation, the device senses key physical events and stimulates the muscles of the ankle flexing the foot upward in patients suffering from foot drop.

Continue reading→

Spinal Modulation’s Neurostimulator for the Stimulation of the Dorsal Root Ganglion

Posted on by Posted in Mir A Imran (InCube), Pain, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Spinal Modulation
Spinal modulation for stimulation of dorsal root ganglion
Image Credit: Spinal Modulation

 

Spinal Modulation was founded by Mir Imran in Menlo Park, CA in 2004.  The company has developed an implantable neurostimulator to deliver signals to the primary sensory neurons located within the dorsal root ganglion (DRG).  The idea is that unlike dorsal column spinal cord stimulation, the Spinal Modulation system breaks the pain signal’s path before it enters the spinal cord. Continue reading→

Nevro’s Senza Rechargeable Spinal Cord Stimulator for Back and Leg Pain

Posted on by Posted in Nevro, Pain, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Wireless Power Transmission
Nevro Senza Implantable Spinal Cord Stimulator for Back and Leg Pain
Image Source: Nevro’s Website

Nevro Corporation (formerly NBI Development) was founded in 2006 by Dr. Konstantinos Alataris.  The Menlo Park, CA company developed a pain management concept that originated at the Mayo Clinic into a spinal cord stimulation system for back and leg pain.

According to Nevro, their unique stimulation waveform achieves pain relief without paresthesia or uncomfortable stimulation.  Few details are available about the waveform, but Nevro’s Spanish distributor’s brochure specifies it as high-frequency stimulation at 10,000 Hz.  This is consistent with Nevro’s patent applications which teach that “high-frequency modulation in the range of from about 1.5 KHz to about 50 KHz may be applied to the patient’s spinal cord region to address low back pain without creating unwanted sensory and/or motor side affects.” Continue reading→

TransWorld’s Soul Mate Implantable Heart Transplant Rejection Monitor

Posted on by Posted in Telemetry, Transplant Rejection, TransWorld Heart
TransWorld Medical's Soul Mate Implantable Heart Transplant Rejection Monitor
Image Source: TransWorld Heart Corporation’s Website

TransWorld Heart Corporation of Charlotte, NC, was founded by Dr. Charles Richardson in 2004.  The company developed an implantable device intended to replace routine post-transplant heart biopsies.

TransWorld’s Soul Mate implantable system analyzes 9 intramyocardial electrogram parameters recorded from 4 or 6 configurations of 2 or 3 epicardial leads to detect allograft rejection. Continue reading→

Biomet EBI’s OsteoGen™ Implantable Bone-Growth Stimulator

Posted on by Posted in Bone Fracture/Fusion, Bone Growth Stimulation, Electro Biology Inc (EBI)

Electrobiology Inc (EBI) Osteogen Implantable Bone-Growth StimulatorIt has been known for quite some time that bone growth is stimulated by DC electrical currents.  However, only relatively recently implantable stimulators have been developed for the application.

In 1988 Biomet acquired Electrobiology Inc. (EBI) in Parsippany, NJ, a leader in bone-growth electrical stimulation and bone external fixation markets.

EBI’s OsteoGen™ Bone Growth Stimulator is marketed by Biomet Inc. It is designed for adjunctive use in the treatment of nonunions when surgery is required or when patient compliance is expected to be inadequate. The device is appropriate for any form of fracture. It is most often used on long bones and the clavicle. Variations of the OsteoGen device are available for high-risk fractures (OsteoGen™ Dual Lead Bone Growth Stimulator) and with mesh cathodes designed to provide scaffolding (OsteoGen™-M Bone Growth Stimulator). Continue reading→

BioControl’s MiniatURO Muscle Stimulator to Alleviate Incontinence (1999-2006)

Posted on by Posted in BioControl, Incontinence, Muscular Stimulation, Yossi Gross (Rainbow Medical)

BioControl's MiniatURO implantable muscle stimulator for the treatment of incontinenceBioControl Medical, Ltd. was founded in 1999 by Yossi Gross, and is based in Yehud, Israel.  BioControl’s first devices were developed to treat incontinence due to overactive bladder, stress, and interstitial cystitis.  In 2006 American Medical Sytems acquired an exclusive license for the use of the technology in urology, gynaecology and other pelvic health applications.

The BioControl MiniatURO was an implantable muscle and nerve stimulator designed for subcutaneous implantation on an outpatient basis. Its purpose was to alleviate some types of urinary incontinence.

For patients suffering from stress incontinence, whenever the device detected an increase in abdominal pressure through its pressure-sensing catheter, it applied mild electrical pulses to the pelvic floor muscles. The intention was to activate the muscles and prevent inadvertent urine loss. In the urge incontinence mode of operation, the unit applied mild electrical pulses to the pelvic diaphragm nerve, using the sphincter detrusor muscle reflex to inhibit bladder contractions. For those with both types of incontinence, the two modes of operation were combined.  In operation, the unit was intended to mimic natural physiology, activating the muscle upon demand, and strengthening the pelvic floor muscle. Continue reading→

BioControl’s CardioFit System for the Treatment of Heart Failure via Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Posted on by Posted in BioControl, CerebralRx, Heart Failure (CHF), Hypertension, Muscular Stimulation, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Yossi Gross (Rainbow Medical)
Biocontrol's Cardiofit Vagus Nerve Stimulator for Heart Failure Treatment

BioControl Medical, Ltd. was founded in 1999 by Yossi Gross, and is based in Yehud, Israel.  BioControl’s first devices were developed to treat incontinence due to overactive bladder, stress, and interstitial cystitis.  In 2006 American Medical Sytems acquired an exclusive license for the use of the technology in urology, gynecology and other pelvic health applications. Continue reading→

Cameron Health’s Leadless Implantable Defibrillator

Posted on by Posted in Cameron Health, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Tachycardia

Cameron Health's subcutaneous defibrillatorCameron Health was founded in 2000 in San Clemente, CA to develop a leadless implantable defibrillator.

The device does not require a lead to be implanted into the heart. Instead, the device has a lead that is tunneled beneath the skin from the upper left chest below the level of the clavicle to the level of about the breast, then tunneled laterally to the side of the chest beneath the arm. The device uses the subcutaneous lead to sense the heart rhythm and can detect rapid arrhythmias from the surface ECG created between the lead electrode and the can of the device. Its maximum shocking output is 80 joules. Continue reading→

EBR System’s Wireless Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cambridge Consultants, Cardiac Pacing, EBR Systems, Heart Failure (CHF), Ultra-Low-Power ICs, Ultrasonic Transducers, Wireless Power Transmission

EBR Systems, Inc., founded in 2003 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, is developing the WiCS® Wireless Cardiac Stimulation technology to eliminate cardiac pacing leads, historically a major source of complications and reliability issues.  The startup was spun out of research by founder Debra Echt, a former professor of medicine and a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University. Continue reading→

Nanostim’s Leadless Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in BetaBatt, Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, EBR Systems, Medtronic, Nanostim, Nuclear Batteries

Nanostim's leadless pacemakerNanostim is an early-stage AIMD company in Milpitas, CA that is developing a pacemaker that can be implanted inside the heart through a catheter.  The tiny device is attached directly to the heart, eliminating the need for leads.

In May 2011 Nanostim announced that St. Jude Medical had made a substantial investment in the company.

The company is operating in stealth mode, but some details about the leadless pacemaker have emerged from Nanostim’s patents and patent applications.  An interesting detail is about the possible use of a betavoltaic power source: Continue reading→

BetaBatt’s Modern Betavoltaic Cells to Power Active Implantable Devices

Posted on by Posted in BetaBatt, Nanostim, News, Nuclear Batteries
Porous-silicon diode membrane being developed by BetaBatt for an implantable betavoltaic cell
Image Credit: University of Rochester

Nuclear energy cells that converted the impact of the β-particles on a p-n junction were developed in the 1970s.  One example was CCC’s atomic pacemaker, which was powered by a promethium-147  McDonell-Douglas Betacel 400.

Lately, BetaBatt Inc. of Houston, TX licensed beta-voltaic technology developed  at the University of Rochester to develop an implantable power source under the trade name DEC™ Cell, in which a silicon wafer captures electrons emitted by a radioactive gas such as tritium. The wafer is etched in a three-dimensional surface to capture more electrons.  The battery is sealed in a hermetic package  which  entirely  contains  the  low-energy  particles emitted by tritium, rendering the battery safe for long-term human  implant  from  a radiological-health standpoint.  Tri­tium has a half-life  of 12.3 years so that the technology  is more than adequate to meet the requirements of many implantable devices. Continue reading→

Glucose Fuel-Cell-Powered Implantable Devices

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, ELA Medical, Glucose Fuel-Cell, Museum, News, Sorin

Experimental glucose-powered fuel-cell pacemaker (1970s)

 

My friend, Dr. Alain Ripart – the Chief Scientific Officer at Ela Medical (now part of Sorin) showed me this interesting contraption from his personal collection.  It is an experimental glucose-powered pacemaker developed in the 1970s.  It generated electricity by acquiring its fuel (glucose) directly from a living body to generate enough current to charge two NiCd cells that powered the pacemaker. Continue reading→

American Optical’s Nuclear Pacemaker (1970’s)

Posted on by Posted in American Optical (1965-1975), Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, History, Museum, Nuclear Batteries

American Optical Nuclear Pacemaker

Barouh Berkovits at American Optical Co of Boston, MA designed the first “Demand Pacemaker” – what we now know as a VVI pacemaker.  As other companies in the 1970s, American Optical developed a nuclear-battery-powered version of their pacemaker.

American Optical used a 3Ci Pu-238 Radioisotope Thermal Generator (RTG) produced by Fred Hittman’s Hittman Nuclear Development Corp. (Model NB-200).  It consisted of a tiny 8 Ci slug of metallic Plutonium 238 (Pu-238). The radiation produced by the Pu-238 bombarded the walls of its container, producing heat that a thermopile then converted to an electrical current. A thermopile is a stack of thermocouples, which are devices that convert thermal energy directly into electrical energy using Seebeck effect. The thermocouple was made of two kinds of metal (or semiconductors) connected to each other in a closed loop. If the two junctions are at different temperatures, an electric current will flow in the loop. Continue reading→

Arco Medical’s Nuclear-Powered Pacemaker (ca.1974)

Posted on by Posted in Arco Medical (1969-1980), Cardiac Pacing, History, Museum, Nuclear Batteries
Arco pacemaker powered by a plutonium 238 RTG

Image Credit: Arco Medical Products Co. (1974)

An isotopic thermoelectric generator was developed in the US by Numec Corporation under a contract from the US Atomic Energy Commission and sold for $3,200 (back in 1974). The thermopile consisted of doped bismuth telluride pairs that were placed in a parallel/series arrangement to generate some 300 μW of power to run this Arco Medical model NU-5F pacemaker. Continue reading→