St. Jude’s Penta Neurostimulation Lead OKin Japan Med

St. Jude’s Penta Neurostimulation Lead OKin Japan

Medical device regulators in Japan have approved St. Jude Medical Inc.’s Penta surgical lead for neurostimulation therapy to manage chronic pain.

The Penta surgical lead addresses complex pain patterns such as low back pain and arm and leg pain, according to the company. In addition to Japan, the Penta lead is also is available in the United States, Europe, Australia and Canada.

Arranged in five columns, the Penta lead is designed to selectively stimulate nerve fibers associated with the patient’s area of pain without affecting other areas. The design also enables greater amounts of current to be delivered via the small electrodes, company officials said.

Penta can be used with the company’s Eon Mini spinal cord stimulator, which is approximately the size of a man’s watch. According to the company, the Eon Mini’s small design makes it well suited for smaller body frames.

“We are proud to be the first in the industry to offer physicians a neurostimulation lead with broad lateral coverage to help patients manage their chronic pain,” said William Phillips, president of St. Jude Medical Japan. “The Penta lead provides the most comprehensive spinal cord coverage available, and it is another powerful addition to our expanding line of neurostimulation products.”

The World Health Organization, in conjunction with the International Association for the Study of Pain, reports that as many as one in five people suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain. Neurostimulation (also called spinal cord stimulation) is used for managing chronic pain of the trunk and limbs and pain from back surgeries that have failed. Using mild electrical pulses to interrupt or mask the pain signals as they travel to the brain, the neurostimulator can be programmed to meet each individual patient’s needs.

St. Jude Medical is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., and has four major focus areas that include cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular and neuromodulation.

—MPO Staff