Jackson Health System and UHealth – University of Miami Health System set to become first in South Florida to perform nerve stimulation implant to help stroke survivors regain upper limb function
MIAMI, FL – Jackson Health System and UHealth – University of Miami Health System will be the first in South Florida to implant the only FDA-approved nerve stimulation device designed to help stroke survivors regain upper limb function. Results of a pivotal clinical trial published in The Lancet show that the Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System, when paired with high-repetition, task-specific occupational or physical therapy, helps generate two to three times more hand and arm function for stroke survivors than rehabilitation therapy alone. Once cleared by their surgeon, the stroke survivor will begin Vivistim Therapy™ at the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial.
Robert M. Starke, co-director of endovascular neurosurgery at Jackson Memorial, and a UHealth neurosurgeon and interventional neuroradiologist, will implant the small pacemaker-like device under the skin in the upper left chest and neck areas during a same-day outpatient procedure. The device can help ischemic stroke survivors, the most common type of stroke that occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery leading to the brain. The device can be implanted in patients who are at least six months post-stroke and have not yet regained full hand and arm function. This device has also been shown to benefit patients 20 years from their original stroke.
“The benefit of this innovative procedure is that it enables hundreds of stroke survivors to regain more independence months or years of not being able to function, and it’s a simple procedure,” Dr. Starke said. “This procedure, paired with Jackson and UHealth’s state-of-the-art facilities and highly trained neurosurgeons, therapists, and clinical care experts, showcase our dedication to provide the best quality of life for stroke survivors and their families.”
Based on demonstrated clinical outcomes, the neurosurgery and rehabilitation teams hope that the device will help stroke survivors who have minimal upper body function begin using their hands and arms for activities of daily living, such as picking up an object, putting on a hat or cutting food.
To view the full research study, visit, “Vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation for upper limb motor function after ischaemic stroke (VNS-REHAB): a randomised, blinded, pivotal device trial | ResearchPoint Global.”
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About Jackson Health:
Jackson Health System is one of the nation’s largest and most respected public health systems, with a mission of providing one standard of high-quality care to all residents of Miami-Dade County. The nonprofit academic medical system is anchored by Jackson Memorial Hospital, a comprehensive stroke center and home to Ryder Trauma Center and the Miami Transplant Institute. The system also includes Holtz Children’s Hospital/The Women’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial, Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital, Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial, which was ranked among the top 3 percent of rehabilitation hospitals nationwide in U.S. News and World Report, Jackson North Medical Center, Jackson South Medical Center, Jackson West Medical Center, multiple primary care and specialty centers, a network of UHealth Jackson Urgent Care centers, physician practices, and two long-term care nursing facilities.
About the University of Miami Health System:
The University of Miami Health System delivers transformational patient care by the region’s most comprehensive team of doctors, powered by the groundbreaking research and medical education of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. As South Florida’s only academic-based health care system, UHealth is a vital component of the community.
UHealth combines a superior approach to patient care, with research, education and academic excellence to create a personalized health care delivery system that is unparalleled. Patients at UHealth are treated as individuals and guided uniquely through their health care journey. Within the UHealth system, patients can participate in clinical trials and benefit from the latest developments that are fast-tracked from the laboratory to the bedside.
UHealth’s comprehensive network includes three hospitals, more than one dozen outpatient facilities in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Collier counties, with more than 1,200 physicians and scientists. Its flagship facility, The Lennar Foundation Medical Center, opened December 2016 in Coral Gables, marking a new era in health care delivery that brings together the expertise of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the University of Miami Health System Sports Medicine Institute and several other specialty services. Together with our affiliates, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Holtz Children’s Hospital, and the Miami VA, UHealth stands ready to provide life-saving care to our region and beyond.
About Vivistim:
MicroTransponder®, Inc. is a privately held, global medical device company based in Austin, Texas, committed to developing research-based neuroscience solutions. The company focuses on restoring dignity for people suffering from neurological conditions that impair sensory and motor function. MicroTransponder’s FDA-approved Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System is a first-of-its-kind, clinically proven medical technology that generates two to three times more improvement in upper limb function than conventional rehabilitation for stroke survivors after six weeks of in-clinic therapy. For more information, visit Vivistim.com.
