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Published on: January 10, 2013
First Clinical Experience with BION Implants for Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation.
Anne-Caroline Dupont Salter1, Stephen D Bagg, Janet L Creasy
1A.E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada; and Istituto Ortopedico Gaetano Pini, Milan, Italy.
BION injectable microstimulators offer safe and effective rehabilitation for disuse atrophy, improving shoulder subluxation and knee function while reducing pain. Patients found the therapy comfortable and beneficial, with most continuing treatment post-study.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
Background:
- Disuse atrophy presents significant rehabilitation challenges, particularly after stroke and in knee osteoarthritis.
- Current therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES) methods require effective delivery systems for at-home use.
- BION injectable neuromuscular microstimulators offer a novel approach to targeted muscle stimulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the usability and safety of BION microstimulators for TES.
- To assess the efficacy of BION implants in treating post-stroke shoulder subluxation and knee osteoarthritis.
Main Methods:
- Subjects received self-administered TES using BION implants for 6 or 12 weeks.
- PC-based software facilitated implant tracking and personalized exercise program design.
- Outcome measures included shoulder subluxation, knee function, and pain levels.
Main Results:
- BION therapy was well-accepted, with 80% of subjects opting to continue treatment.
- Significant improvements were observed: 55% reduction in shoulder subluxation, 65% enhancement in knee function, and 78% decrease in knee pain.
- The BION devices demonstrated excellent safety, with no migration, inflammation, or pain reported, and stable thresholds over time.
Conclusions:
- BION injectable microstimulators provide a safe, well-tolerated, and effective rehabilitation solution for muscles affected by disuse atrophy.
- This technology shows promise for improving outcomes in post-stroke hemiplegia and knee osteoarthritis.
- Self-administered TES with BION implants facilitates patient independence and adherence in rehabilitation programs.
