St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), has announced regulatory approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) of the Penta(TM) surgical lead for neurostimulation therapy to manage chronic pain.
The Penta surgical lead addresses complex pain patterns like low back pain and arm and leg pain. Arranged in five columns, the lead is designed to selectively stimulate nerve fibers associated with the patient’s area of pain without affecting other areas. The Penta lead features a proprietary micro-texturing process that enables greater amounts of current to be delivered via the small electrodes.
The Penta surgical lead can be used with the St. Jude Medical Eon Mini(TM) spinal cord stimulator. Approximately the size of a man’s watch, the Eon Mini neurostimulator’s thin, small design makes it well suited for those patients whose body type requires a small device. In addition to Japan, the Penta lead is also available in the U.S., Europe, Australia and Canada.
“We are proud to be the first in the industry to offer physicians a neurostimulation lead with broad lateral coverage to help patients manage their chronic pain,” said William Phillips, president of St. Jude Medical Japan. “The Penta lead provides the most comprehensive spinal cord coverage available, and it is another powerful addition to our expanding line of neurostimulation products.”
Chronic pain is a largely under-treated and misunderstood condition that affects millions of patients worldwide. The World Health Organization, in conjunction with the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), reports that as many as one in five people suffers from moderate to severe chronic pain.
Neurostimulation (also called spinal cord stimulation) is used for managing chronic pain of the trunk and limbs and pain from back surgeries that have failed. Using mild electrical pulses to interrupt or mask the pain signals as they travel to the brain, the neurostimulator can be programmed to meet each individual patient’s needs.
Source: St Jude Medical
published: October 10, 2011 in: Neuro, Regulatory, Spine, St Jude