Ongoing Study Analyzes Outcomes of Implanted Spinal Cord Stimulation Devices

Newer technology could improve chronic pain in patients utilizing spinal cord stimulation (SCS) systems according to science presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 2019 Annual Meeting.

Thomas Yearwood, MD, PhD, Neuromodulation Specialists LLC, and colleagues explained, “Patients using SCS systems who have endured problems with device longevity and/or loss of efficacy may be able to achieve better outcomes utilizing newer technologies that offer an increased variety of waveforms and programming options to address their chronic pain.”

The retrospective study, compared outcomes of patients who were previously implanted with a commercially available SCS device who then graduated to a newer SCS system, that “offers multiple neurostimulation-based treatment approaches to regain and maintain efficacious therapy.”

“Pain relief and other associated outcomes, with both previously implanted SCS systems and newly connected commercially available systems are being collected.” Dr Yearwood and colleagues explained. The study is still ongoing.

“New technologies now offer a range of optional programming schemes when using SCS to help treat chronic pain specific to each individual patient’s therapeutic needs that many previously implanted patients are not able to experience,” said Dr Yearwood and colleagues. “Use of a commercially available adaptor may therefore provide previously implanted patients with enhanced neurostimulation-based technological capabilities.” —Edan Stanley