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

Monthly Archives: September 2023

Amber Therapeutics Acquires Bioinduction for its Picostim DyNeuMo

Posted on by Posted in Amber Therapeutics, Incontinence, Neural Stimulation, Pudendal Nerve Stimulation
Picostim DyNeuMo

Image Credit: Zamora et al https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.10.292284

Amber Therapeutics has acquired  fellow U.K.-based Bioinduction, a for its Picostim DyNeuMo platform.  The implantable device was originally designed as a deep-brain stimulation device for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.  However, Amber intends to utilize it first as a pudendal nerve stimulator for treating mixed urinary incontinence, where patients experience symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence.

The device is currently being trialed in Belgium as part of a 15 female subject pilot study to evaluate its safety and efficacy.

“Pea-Sized” Brain Stimulator Being Developed by Motif for Treating Depression

Posted on by Posted in Brain Stimulation, Depression, Motif Neurotech
Motif brain stimulator for depression

Image Credit: Motif Neurotech

Motif Neurotech, based in Houston, TX is developing a “pea-sized” implantable brain stimulator intended for the treatment of depression.

An interesting preprint was published by Motif’s engineers in collaboration with researchers at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, and UTHealth Houston on their millimeter-sized battery-free epidural cortical stimulators.  The paper discusses the engineering of the implant, a 30-day porcine study, as well as an intra-operative human test of the device.

Motif’s concept is to implant the device through a simple outpatient procedure, and having the patient periodically wear at home a headset that transmits power to the implant to deliver episodic neuromodulation.

ONWARD® Announces First-in-Human Implant of ARC-IM™ with BCI to Restore Arm, Hand, and Finger Function after SCI

Posted on by Posted in Brain-Computer Interface, EEG Monitoring, Neural Stimulation, Onward, Paralysis, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
ONWARD ARC device with BCI

Image Credit: ONWARD

Onward announced the successful first-in-human implant of its ARC-IM Stimulator, to restore upper extremity function after SCI. The patient also received a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI), designed to initiate thought-driven movement when paired with ARC-IM.

According to the announcement:

“Working in concert with ARC-IM, the BCI is engineered to capture the intention of a paralyzed individual to move their upper extremities and uses artificial intelligence to decode those thoughts. ARC-IM then converts the decoded information into ARC-IM Therapy – precise stimulation of the spinal cord – resulting in thought-driven movement.”

 

 

MIT Develops Technology to Keep Encapsulated Pancreatic Cells Oxygenated

Posted on by Posted in Diabetes
MIT's pancreatic cell implant

Image Credit: MIT

MIT engineers have designed technology that could be used in an implantable device that not only carries hundreds of thousands of insulin-producing islet cells, but also has its own on-board oxygen factory, which generates oxygen by splitting water vapor found in the body.  According to the press release:

“The researchers showed that when implanted into diabetic mice, this device could keep the mice’s blood glucose levels stable for at least a month. The researchers now hope to create a larger version of the device, about the size of a stick of chewing gum, that could eventually be tested in people with Type 1 diabetes.”

The device generates oxygen by splitting water using a proton-exchange membrane.  Hydrogen, diffuses harmlessly away, while oxygen is accumulated into a storage chamber that feeds the islet cells through a thin, oxygen-permeable membrane.

Precis Receives CE Mark for EASEE® System for Treating Refractory Focal Epilepsy (Sep 2022)

Posted on by Posted in Epilepsy, Neural Stimulation, Precis GmbH
Precis Easee System for treating epilepsy

Image Credit: Precis

Precis GmbH is a German company headquartered in Heidelberg developing neuromodulation systems.  On September 15, 2022, Precis received the CE Mark for its EASEE® system  for treating adults with therapy-refractory focal epilepsies.

The EASEE® implant consists of a thin electrode pad that is implanted under the skin of the scalp and an IPG that is is implanted in the chest area and connected to the electrode pad with a cable.

Precis’ electrode design is claimed to produce deep and focused stimulation of the brain.  According to Precis’ website:

“A so-called Laplace electrode generates fields and current flows perpendicular to the electrode pad. In the EASEE® System, the external ring-shaped electrode is replaced by four individual electrodes in order to adapt the direction of the resultant electrical field to spatially varying resistances. In this way, significant current flows can be achieved on the surface of the brain as well as a penetration depth comparable to that of more invasive procedures.”

JAMA Neurology published a paper on April 4, 2023 detailing clinical results with the EASEE® System.  After six months’ active treatment, 53% of patients demonstrated a full response to the device, as defined by a reduction in seizure frequency of at least 50% below baseline. 84% of patients demonstrated a response of some kind. There were no serious events reported which were related to either the device or its implantation. A summary is available here.

AngelMed Changes Name to Avertix, Prepares to Go Public Through SPAC

Posted on by Posted in Acute Coronary Syndrome, AIMD Business, Angel Medical, Avertix, ECG Monitoring

Image Credit: Angel Medical Systems

In May 2023 AngelMed changed its name to Avertix.  AngelMed developed the Guardian System, which is an FDA-approved implantable device designed to detect and warn patients of acute thrombotic coronary occlusion.

BIOS Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, then announced that it had entered into a definitive merger agreement with Avertix so it would become a publicly traded company on Nasdaq. The Transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2023.  According to the announcement, the combined company, which will be named Avertix Medical, Inc., will have an enterprise value of approximately $195 million.

Biotronik Receives FDA Approval for Prospera SCS System (March 2023)

Posted on by Posted in Biotronik, Pain, Spinal Cord Stimulation
Biotronik Prospera SCS

Image Credit: Biotronik (from FDA’s PMA approval)

Biotronik received FDA approval for its Prospera™ Spinal Cord Stimulation System on March 31, 2023.  The system is intended to treat chronic, intractable pain in the trunk or limbs.

The Prospera SCS System includes a rechargeable IPG, SCS leads, a clinician programmer, a patient programmer, and an external trial pulse generator.

The system features connectivity with Biotronik’s Embrace One™, which the company claims to provide automatic, objective, remote daily data transmission for true proactive care management.

Chinese Pacemakers by Qinming Originated in Delaware

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Cardio-Pace, History, Qinming Medical
Pacemakers by Qingming (China)

Image Credit: Qingming

Cardio-Pace Medical, Inc was incorporated in Delaware on April 20, 1981 to develop, manufacture, and market its proprietary Durapulse(TM) cardiac pacemaker and accessory products. Although Cardio-Pace achieved sales of its pacemakers, it did not achieve profitability.  As a result, they suspended manufacturing the cardiac pacemaker in 1990. During 1985, Cardio-Pace entered into an agreement with Qinling Semiconductor to establish Qinming Medical, Inc., a Sino-American joint venture in Baoji, China, for the manufacture and distribution of cardiac pacemakers and accessory products. In 1992, Cardio-Pace sold its 49% interest in the joint venture to Qinming.

In 2010, Lepu Medical of Beijing purchased a 30.46 percent stake in Qinming as part of its efforts to forge an integrated Chinese cardiovascular products company. In 2013, Lepu completed the acquisition of Shaanxi Qinming Medical Instruments Co., Ltd.

Around that time, Qinming developed the QM7211, which was the first domestically developed dual-chamber rate-responsive pacemaker in China.  Its clinical study to evaluate it for non-inferiority against a Biotronik Talos pacemaker was successfully completed in 2015.

Today, Qinming is Lepu’s subsidiary in charge of the development, manufacture, and marketing of pacemaker products.  Their line includes single- and dual-chamber devices, as well as passive and active-fixation leads.

 

China’s Singular Medical Completes Domestic ICD Trial

Posted on by Posted in Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Singular Medical, Tachycardia
Singular Medical's products

Image Credit: Singular Medical

Singular Medical  was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Suzhou, China.  They have development offices in Beijing, Irvine CA,  and Minneapolis MN.

In May 2023 they completed the first Chinese human clinical trial on a domestic ICD, which puts them on their way to marketing their single-chamber, DF-4 ICD.  According to their website, the device offers tiered therapy and Bluetooth-based telemetry, and the programmer is an Android-based tablet PC.    The website also shows an active-fixation DF-4 single-coil lead, as well as an ILR.

 

Orchestra Biomedical Receives Approval to Start BACKBEAT IDE

Posted on by Posted in BackBeat Medical, Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, Hypertension, Medtronic, Orchestra Biomedical
Orchestra Biomed Backbeat therapy for hypertension in patients indicated for dual-chamber pacing

Image Credit: Orchestra BioMed

Orchestra Biomedical announced that it has received FDA’s approval (Sep 19, 2023) to initiate its BACKBEAT (BradycArdia paCemaKer with atrioventricular interval modulation for Blood prEssure treAtmenT) IDE study for evaluating the efficacy and safety of atrioventricular interval modulation (“AVIM”) therapy (also known as BackBeat CNT™) for treating hypertensive patients who are indicated for a dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker.

Orchestra and Medtronic formed a strategic collaboration for the development and commercialization of AVIM therapy for hypertensive pacemaker patients in July 2022. Under the collaboration, Medtronic is providing Orchestra BioMed with development, clinical, and regulatory support for the BACKBEAT global pivotal study, which Orchestra BioMed is sponsoring. If approved, Medtronic will have exclusive global rights to commercialize AVIM-enabled pacing systems for this target population.

Insulation Separation in Glassed Feedthrough Behind Class-I Recall of 348k Medtronic ICDs

Posted on by Posted in Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Medtronic, Tachycardia

On July 18, 2023 Medtronic recalled approximately 384,000 ICD and CRT-D devices due to increased potential for a reduced- or no-energy HV therapy.

The devices, manufactured after July 17 have a glassed feedthrough, and its insulating layers may separate.  When this happens, an unintended current pathway forms within the void created by the insulation separation, capable of conducting high levels of current during HV therapy.  The low-energy output issue is most likely to appear when the device is programmed to deliver therapy in the AX>B pathway.

Continue reading→

Neuralink Announces that First-in-Human Clinical Trial is Open for Recruitment

Posted on by Posted in ALS, Brain-Computer Interface, EEG Monitoring, Neuralink, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
Neuralink implant

Image credit: Neuralink

Neuralink announced that they have started recruiting subjects with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for their PRIME Study (short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface), which is an IDE trial for their fully-implantable, wireless brain-computer interface (N1) and surgical robot (R1).  The study will assess the initial functionality of Neuralink’s BCI for enabling people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts.

According to the announcement:

During the study, the R1 Robot will be used to surgically place the N1 Implant’s ultra-fine and flexible threads in a region of the brain that controls movement intention. Once in place, the N1 Implant is cosmetically invisible and is intended to record and transmit brain signals wirelessly to an app that decodes movement intention. The initial goal of our BCI is to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone.

The PRIME Study is being conducted under the investigational device exemption (IDE) awarded by the FDA in May 2023 and represents an important step in our mission to create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs.

Those who have  may qualify.

FDA Approves Abbott’s Aveir Dual-Chamber Leadless Pacing System (July 2023)

Posted on by Posted in Abbott, Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing
AVEIR dual-chamber leadless pacing system www.implantable-device.com

Image Credit: Abbott

On July 5, 2023 Abbott announced that the FDA had approved the AVEIR™ dual chamber (DR) leadless pacemaker system, the world’s first dual chamber leadless pacing system.

According to the press release:

Through Abbott’s proprietary i2i™ communication technology, AVEIR DR devices provide synchronized or coordinated cardiac pacing between two leadless pacemakers based on the person’s clinical needs. The i2i technology utilizes high-frequency pulses to relay messages via the naturally conductive characteristics of the body’s blood between each leadless pacemaker. To support dual chamber therapy, each implant communicates beat-to-beat with a paired, co-implanted device. This conductive communication is critical, because it uses far less battery current than inductive, radio frequency or Bluetooth® communication which are other alternatives used in implantable medical devices or traditional pacemakers.

Roughly one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker, the AVEIR DR leadless pacing system is made up of two devices – the previously-approved AVEIR VR single chamber device, which paces the right ventricle, and the now-approved AVEIR AR single chamber device, which paces the right atrium. The AVEIR DR system incorporates Abbott’s novel i2i technology, which solves a significant engineering challenge by offering beat-to-beat communication between the two leadless pacemakers.

Valencia Technologies’ eCoin Approved by FDA (March 2022)

Posted on by Posted in Incontinence, Tibial Nerve Stimulation, Valencia Technologies

Valencia Technologies eCoin

Valencia Technologies eCoin

Image Credit: Valencia Technologies

On March 1, 2022 FDA approved Valencia Technologies’ eCoin Peripheral Neurostimulator System to stimulate the tibial nerve to treat Urge Urinary Incontinence.  The eCoin system delivers electrical pulses to the tibial nerve in 30-minute sessions based on a fixed schedule. A healthcare provider can adjust the level of stimulation based on each patient’s sensitivity and needs, using the remote control.

Saluda’s Evoke Spinal Cord Stimulation Received FDA Approval (Feb 2022)

Posted on by Posted in Neural Stimulation, Pain, Saluda Medical, Spinal Cord Stimulation
Saluda Medical Evoke IPG

Image Credit: Saluda Medical

In February 2022 FDA approved Saluds Medical’s Evoke® Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) System (Evoke System), which is an implanted, rechargeable spinal cord stimulation system intended to treat chronic, intractable pain in the trunk or limbs.

The Evoke® System automatically adjusts stimulation to maintain precise and consistent neural activation with breathing, coughing, positional changes and activity to keep a patient at their prescribed stimulation dose. Continue reading→