The evolution of spinal cord stimulation technology

14th November 2024

Timing : 1 pm ET

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Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and other neurological stimulation systems have been developed in parallel with cardiac pacing, and much of the supporting technology has been shared. Their requirements differ in important respects, however, viz., SCS can require orders of magnitude more power, and uninterrupted function is not required. The earliest SCS implants were powered and controlled by external wireless components. With ongoing improvements in primary and rechargeable cells, power and telemetry systems, some of them derived from satellite programs, internally powered SCS systems have become predominant. All systems retain wireless features, however, and externally powered devices still have advantages. With the introduction of new SCS waveforms and control paradigms, SCS is no longer a single entity. While this represents progress, there are mismatches between regulatory goals, clinical best practices and reimbursement, and evidence based medicine and meta-analysis. SCS technology is evolving in an increasingly complex environment.



Snow
Richard B. North, MD
Richard B. North, M.D. is a retired Professor of Neurosurgery, Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he directed the Neurosurgery Spine Service for 16 years and co-directed the Division of Functional Neurosurgery for 10 years. After two undergraduate years at Harvard, he received his medical degree and post-doctoral biomedical engineering and neurosurgery training at Johns Hopkins. From 1998 through 2003 he founded and served as CEO of Stimsoft, Inc., which developed patient-interactive implanted stimulator technology. He has served as president of the charitable nonprofit Neuromodulation Foundation since its founding in 2007, and is past president of the Institute of Neuromodulation and the North American Neuromodulation Society. He holds a number of patents in the field of implanted electrical stimulation devices.