St. Jude Lead Delivery System Gets U.S. Debut

St. Jude Medical Inc. has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the Epiducer lead delivery system, which allows physicians to place multiple neurostimulation threads through a single entry point. The company also announced limited market release of the system, which is used for patients with chronic pain.

“The Epiducer lead delivery system represents an important paradigm shift and step forward enabling physicians to configure patient-specific systems utilizing multiple lead arrays to treat complex multifocal pain, and we are excited to bring it to the U.S. market,” said Chris Chavez, president of the St. Jude Medical Neuromodulation Division. “This system is already available in Europe, Australia and Canada, and physician feedback has been very positive regarding this new capability to deliver multiple lead configurations less invasively.”

The system also allows introduction of paddle leads percutaneously. Before the Epiducer system, the placement of paddle leads was only possible through a laminotomy, a more invasive procedure that typically requires removal of part of a vertebral bone.

St. Jude Medical is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn.