New FDA-Approved Device for Stroke Rehabilitation Now Available for Patients at Jefferson Health - Newswise

Newswise — PHILADELPHIA –Stroke affects astir 14 cardinal people worldwide per year, and tin often nutrient nonaccomplishment of mobility. Patients tin regain immoderate relation with intensive rehabilitation therapy for the archetypal fewer months aft stroke, but this betterment often plateaus and patients are near with a 'new normal.' To combat this plateau, Jefferson Health surgeons precocious became the 5^th halfway successful the United States to implant a caller FDA-approved instrumentality that improves the effectiveness of rehabilitation therapy and helps restart betterment to amended a changeable survivor’s precocious mobility.

“For immoderate patients post-stroke, paired vagus nervus stimulation whitethorn connection a way to a amended prime of beingness and greater independence,” says Robert Rosenwasser, MD, president of the Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience – Jefferson Health, and Osterholm Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. “Jefferson is starring the complaint successful offering patients entree to the champion attraction and astir effectual aesculapian exertion astatine each stages of stroke attraction and recovery.”

The device, called Vivistim, is placed nether the tegument successful the precocious thorax and stimulates the vagus nervus successful the neck, which sends signals to the encephalon starring to further merchandise of neurotransmitters. Vagus nervus stimulation (VNS) is an extensively researched enactment for respective neurological conditions and is besides FDA approved to dainty circumstantial cases of slump and epilepsy. The results of a triple-blinded, randomized controlled objective proceedings published successful The Lancet, amusement that pairing VNS therapy with post-operative rehabilitation tin make 2 to 3 times much manus and limb relation for changeable survivors than rehabilitation therapy alone. Mobility and power improved adjacent successful patients who were respective years retired from their stroke, astatine a clip erstwhile small improved mobility is expected from further rehabilitation.

The archetypal Jefferson patient, who suffered a changeable 2 years ago, had country with Dr. Reid Gooch, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, successful precocious October and precocious began rehabilitation with a dedicated squad of neurological occupational therapists astatine MossRehab.

 “Jefferson is exploring galore avenues to assistance reconstruct post-stroke patients’ regular relation and abilities,” says neurologist Mijail Serruya, MD, PhD, co-director of the Center for Neurorestoration astatine the Farber Institute for Neuroscience. “Technologies that amended oregon augment the transportation betwixt encephalon and paralyzed parts of the assemblage are promising. We question to marque innovative treatments - whether developed successful industry, oregon present successful our caller Center, disposable to amended outcomes for patients.”

During rehabilitation therapy, the instrumentality is activated to springiness a gentle pulse to the vagus nervus portion the diligent performs a circumstantial task, specified arsenic reaching for a cup, oregon cutting food. The stimulation helps fortify the automatic learning pathways truthful that these actions go easier to perform. After in-clinic Paired VNS Therapy is initiated, Vivistim tin beryllium utilized by the diligent astatine location arsenic directed by their rehabilitation specialist.

“Rehabilitation therapy is an indispensable constituent of changeable recovery,” says Alberto Esquenazi, MD, CMO of MossRehab and present portion of Jefferson Health. “Together, with our highly hard-working patients, we tin assistance reestablish the connections betwixt encephalon and limb, yet helping patients amended function. Technologies that assistance patients summation improved relation are incredibly valuable.”

“We applaud the teams astatine Jefferson Health and MossRehab for envisioning Vivistim System arsenic portion of the implicit attraction that is offered by their broad changeable halfway to amended changeable survivors’ independency and prime of life,” says Richard Foust, CEO of MicroTransponder, a aesculapian instrumentality institution that develops solutions to reconstruct independency and dignity for radical suffering from neurological conditions that impair sensory and centrifugal function. “Paired VNS Therapy addresses an unmet request for those who person chronic impairment aft a stroke, truthful it’s a important milestone for survivors that Vivistim programs are being built present and crossed the country.”

Involved successful this Initiative: Neurosurgery: Robert Rosenwasser, Reid Gooch, Pascal Jabbour, Stavrapoula Tjoumakaris, Chengyuan Wu, Nabeel Herial, Nancy Tworek; Neurology: Robin Dharia, Diana Tzeng, Elan Miller, Shaista Alam, Lisa Bowman, Rodney Bell; Rehabilitation: Steve Williams , Alberto Esquenazi, Davis Berzin,; Center for Neurorestoration: Mijail Serruya, Ashwini Sharan, Joe Kardine, Dana Johnson, Gabrielle Carpino , Erica Jones, Alessandro Napoli, Phyo Thuta Aung, Rachel Zarin, Nabila Shawki, Daniel Verbit, Michelle Mattera Keon.