Via Businessweek, a brief report on FDA approval of Medtronic‘s latest pain control device, the SynergyPlus+ (the second ‘plus’ is silent):
SynergyPlus+ is the next generation of Medtronic’s Synergy™ system, the neurostimulation device that helped legendary performer and comedian Jerry Lewis overcome nearly 40 years of chronic pain due to decades of performing physical comedy routines…
“Because chronic pain affects each person differently, it’s important to have a range of therapies designed specifically to treat the individual needs of any patient,” said Dr. Alon Mogilner, Director of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, North Shore University Hospital, New York. “SynergyPlus+ is the right choice for many of my patients who require low to moderate levels of stimulation to control their pain.”
Like Medtronic’s Restore, approved in April, the Synergy and SynergyPlus work by stimulating the spinal cord, blocking pain signals from traveling through to the brain. Unlike Restore, however, the SynergyPlus+ is implanted under the skin, or, in Medtronic’s parlance, “fully non-rechargable.” It can’t deliver as much power as Restore, but has many programmable options for pain relief.
Flashback: Medtronic’s RESTORE device for chronic pain approved.
More at Medtronic…