Boston Scientific Corporation announced today that it generated sales of $1.761 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $0.16 for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013. These were the results for their AIMD businesses :
From: Microscopic magnetic stimulation of neural tissue, Giorgio Bonmassar, Seung Woo Lee, Daniel K. Freeman, Miloslav Polasek, Shelley I. Fried & John T. Gale, Nature Communications 3, Article number: 921
The following captured my attention in the announcement of the 11th World Congress of the International Neuromodulation Society, “Technology Transforming Chronic Illness Management.” From June 8 – 13, 2013:
“Micro-Magnetic Stimulation (Monday, June 10) – John T. Gale, Ph.D., has demonstrated for the first time that deep brain stimulation with micro-magnets can activate brain cells in a living organism. Dr. Gale’s research team has shown that placing a micro-magnet on the auditory pathway of hamsters triggers nerve signal transmission. Stimulation from uniquely designed magnetic fields could avoid unintentional activation of nearby brain areas and the associated side effects. Micro-magnets might one day provide stimulation for heart pacing, cochlear implants, Parkinson’s disease, or neural prosthetics.”
I have worked on TMS before, even home-brewed a TMS device (the design of which is detailed in my book “Design and Development of Medical Electronic Instrumentation: A Practical Perspective of the Design, Construction, and Test of Medical Devices”), but it takes a very large amount of energy to induce sufficient current in the tissue to stimulate excitable tissue, so it peaked my attention that to do so at the implantable level would be under consideration.
Impulse Dynamics (yes, the company for which I work) launched its new, CE-marked OPTIMIZER™ IVs implantable device for the treatment of heart failure at the 79th Annual Meeting of the German Cardiac Society (Mannheim, Germany, 3–6 April 2013).
The OPTIMIZER™ IVs Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG) is a programmable telemetric device intended to treat moderate to severe heart failure resulting from left ventricular dysfunction by monitoring intrinsic cardiac electrical activity and delivering Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM) signals during the ventricular absolute refractory period. These electrical signals are intended to influence myocardial properties in patients, thereby reducing their symptoms and improving quality of life and exercise tolerance.
The OPTIMIZER™ IVs IPG was designed to deliver CCM signals during the ventricular absolute refractory period in synchrony with locally-sensed electrical activity. The microprocessor controlled implantable device comprises intracardiac electrogram sensing circuits, control logic, communications circuitry, and circuitry to generate the CCM signals. Electrogram signals are detected from and CCM signals are delivered to the heart using standard chronically-implantable bipolar pacing leads. The implant procedure is similar to implantation procedures for other cardiac rhythm management devices.
St. Jude Medical announced sales results for Q1 2013. AIMD results from their press release:
“Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM)
Total CRM sales, which include implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and pacemaker products, were $678 million for the first quarter of 2013, an 8 percent decrease compared to the first quarter of 2012. After adjusting for the impact of foreign currency, total CRM sales decreased 7 percent.
Of that total, ICD product sales were $427 million in the first quarter, a 5 percent decrease compared to the first quarter of 2012. ICD revenue decreased 4 percent after adjusting for the impact of foreign currency.
First quarter pacemaker sales were $251 million, a 12 percent decrease compared to the first quarter of 2012.”
…
“Neuromodulation
St. Jude Medical sales of neuromodulation products were $99 million in the first quarter of 2013, down 4 percent from the prior year.”
Boston Scientific announced today that it has acquired the fiXate™ Tissue Band and is launching it in the United States. The fiXate Tissue Band is intended to be an accessory to the leads/catheter component of Spinal Cord Stimulator/Pain Pump systems functioning to secure the lead to the fascia or inter-spinous/supra-spinous ligament. According to the press release:
“The fiXate Tissue Band is a novel suturing device that is designed to enable quick and simple placement of a suture to help secure a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) lead or pain pump catheter. Boston Scientific introduced the device earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine in Fort Lauderdale. The product was purchased from Anulex Technologies, Inc.
Boston Scientific received FDA approval and is beginning a limited launch of the Precision Spectra Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) System. According to the press release:
“The Precision Spectra System is the world’s first and only SCS system with Illumina 3D™ software and 32 contacts, and is designed to provide improved pain relief to a wide range of patients who suffer from chronic pain. Boston Scientific, the United States market leader in rechargeable SCS devices exiting 2012, is introducing the system at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Images of the Precision Spectra System can be downloaded here.
More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Living in constant pain for an extended period of time can have a devastating impact on quality of life for many patients. Without relief, or the hope for relief, many patients lose the ability to sleep, work and function normally.
In May 2011 Medtronic received the CE Mark for the first 16-electrode, fully implantable system for the percutaneous delivery of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) in the management of chronic back pain.
PNS involves an implant of electrical leads just under the skin of the lower back. These leads are connected to a stimulator which delivers mild electrical impulses to the nerves, interrupting pain signals traveling through the nervous system to the brain.
Medtronic today announced the first patient enrollments in the SubQStim II pivotal clinical trial to pursue FDA approval PNS (also known as subcutaneous nerve stimulation or SQS), for the reduction of chronic, intractable post-surgical back pain.
St. Jude Medical announced CE Mark approval of its Brio™, Libra™ and LibraXP™ deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems for managing the symptoms of intractable primary and secondary dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes a person’s muscles to contract and involuntarily spasm, reducing the ability to control movement. This approval represents the first by a regulatory agency for the use of deep brain stimulation to manage both primary and secondary dystonia.
I know that it’s April 1st, but this post is not an April Fool’s joke. Israeli company Vibrant Ltd. has developed a vibrating capsule that the Company claims to provide chemical-free and safe treatment for patients suffering from constipation. According to Vibrant:
“The capsules, mechanically operated, aid in treating constipated patients without side effects.
Constipation relief is achieved by the capsule’s vibrations on the large intestinal wall, consequently inducing natural peristaltic activity, generating spontaneous additional bowel movement.
Vibrant capsule is easy to swallow. The capsule is controlled through algorithms, predefined by Vibrant’s R&D and gastroenterologist.
The capsule is activated by a base unit that transfers the data of the predefined algorithm into the capsule, before swallowing it.
The capsule operates inside the large intestine and is washed out of the body with the bowel movement.”
Sorin announced it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conditional approval for its Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application and clinical trial protocol for RESPOND CRT. The trial will study the safety and effectiveness of the innovative SonR cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) optimization system in patients with advanced heart failure. RESPOND CRT is a multi-center, randomized, two-arm, double-blinded, prospective trial that will enroll more than 1,000 patients in the United States and other geographies.
The SonR optimization system is comprised of the SonR hemodynamic sensor embedded in the SonRtip atrial pacing lead and the PARADYM RF SonR CRT-D device, which includes a unique algorithm to automatically optimize the patient’s atrioventricular (AV) delay and interventricular (VV) delay timing. While there are several CRT systems on the market, studies have shown that approximately one-third of patients with advanced heart failure do not effectively respond to CRT. The SonR system is the first and only CRT hemodynamic sensor based system designed to automatically adjust on a weekly basis. The timing of electrical impulses delivered to the heart is based on the patient’s heart activity and need – with the goal of improving the patient’s response to CRT. Typically this device re-programming is done manually in the clinic using echocardiography.
Biotronik announced that it had received CE-approval for the world’s first DF4 ICD/CRT-D series approved for MRI. In addition, this series contains one of the world’s smallest ICDs– the Iforia single chamber ICD.
Aside from featuring ProMRI®technology, which allows patients to undergo potentially life saving MRI scans, Iforia also includes the industry standard DF4 connector system, which is designed to simplify and shorten the implantation procedure. The DF4 connector combines the traditional three connectors into one, allowing for a more convenient implantation procedure without compromising safety.
Click here for the press release.
Image Credit: EPFL. This implant measures about 14mm and comprises five sensors, a coil for wireless power as well a miniaturized electronics for radio communication
From Wired:
Written by Liat Clark
Edited by Nate Lanxon
“A multidisciplinary Swiss team has developed a tiny, implantable device that instantly analyses the blood before wirelessly sending the data to a doctor.
The device can be used for monitoring general health, but the team also sees immediate applications in monitoring the efficacy of treatments such as chemotherapy in order to tailor drug delivery to a patient’s unique needs.
Cactus Semiconductor just announced a compact, versatile, fully programmable IC designed for medical device manufacturers involved in peripheral nerve stimulation and other implantable pulse generator applications.
According to the press release: “Cactus Semiconductor, Inc. is pleased to announce the introduction of our first ASSP (Application Specific Standard Product); developed for medical device designers and manufacturers to reduce risk and development time for implantable neurostimulation, neuromodulation and other Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG) applications. The CSI021 will be most beneficial to medical device manufacturers involved in peripheral nerve stimulation by providing a building block suitable for proof-of-concept, trials and even production; depending on the specific application.
The SYNERGY Circulatory Support System is a micro-blood pump that provides up to 4.25 liters of blood per minute and reduces the heart’s workload, while improving blood flow to vital organs. The system is surgically implanted using a mini-thoracotomy and the micro-pump is placed in a pacemaker-like pocket. The system’s less invasive procedure is intended to reduce the surgical risks associated with cardiopulmonary bypass support. In addition, SYNERGY is intended to reduce rehospitalizations associated with heart failure symptoms. SYNERGY is designed and manufactured in Aachen, Germany.
From Brown University’s press release:
“In a significant advance for brain-machine interfaces, engineers at Brown University have developed a novel wireless, broadband, rechargeable, fully implantable brain sensor that has performed well in animal models for more than a year. They describe the result in the Journal of Neural Engineering and at a conference this week.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A team of neuroengineers based at Brown University has developed a fully implantable and rechargeable wireless brain sensor capable of relaying real-time broadband signals from up to 100 neurons in freely moving subjects. Several copies of the novel low-power device, described in the Journal of Neural Engineering, have been performing well in animal models for more than year, a first in the brain-computer interface field. Brain-computer interfaces could help people with severe paralysis control devices with their thoughts.