Implantable Defibrillator System Shock Function, Mortality, and Cause of Death After Magnetic Resonance Imaging">January 31, 2023Studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not have clinically important effects on the device parameters of non–MRI-conditional implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). However, data on non–MRI-conditional detection and treatment of arrhythmias after MRI are limited. During a median follow-up of 2.2 years from MRI to latest available ICD interrogation before generator or lead exchange in 536 patients, 4177 arrhythmia episodes were detected, and 97 patients received ICD shocks. Sixty-one patients (10% of total) had 130 spontaneous ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation events terminated by ICD shocks. A total of 210 patients (33% of total) are known to have died (median, 1.7 years from MRI to death); 3 had cardiac arrhythmia deaths where shocks were indicated without direct evidence of device dysfunction. Conclusion: Non–MRI-conditional ICDs appropriately treated detected tachyarrhythmias after MRI. No serious adverse effects on device function were reported after MRI. Author(s) Source Ra J, Oberdier MT, Suzuki M et al. Annals of Internal Medicine, 31.Jan 2023, https://doi.org/10.7326/M22-2653 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Are hackers attacking medical implants?

January 30, 2023Medical devices such as insulin pumps, defibrillators and brain stimulators are getting more and more connectivity. As more and more patients receive implants to treat conditions ranging from diabetes and Parkinson’s disease to deafness and heart failure, implants are becoming more complex – and thus more wirelessly controllable. This means that smartphones could soon be able to manage devices such as pacemakers and insulin pumps very easily and conveniently. The therapy method from the field of functional neurosurgery is called deep brain stimulation (DBS). It involves sending electrical impulses to the brain to relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, depression, tremors or other medical disorders. Once these devices are connected to the Internet, they can give rise to threats known as “brainjacking.” If an attacker then succeeds in cracking a device’s previously inadequate security measures, he has several options for manipulating his victim’s implant. In this way, hackers are able to control a person’s behavior. Since neurostimulators currently cannot provide reliable security, a secure communication channel between the device programmer and the neurostimulator must be established. This can be achieved with a shared session key and symmetric encryption. Two major challenges need to be addressed: Generation of the session key. Secure transmission of the session key to the other party. It is also helpful to have a low transmission power, which can only be received when there is direct contact. Author(s) Source Geißler O Security Insider 30.01.2023 (german) This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Brain interfaces could let paralyzed people speak at almost normal speeds

January 24, 2023An ALS patient set a record for communicating via a brain implant: 62 words per minute. Eight years ago, a patient lost her power of speech because of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which causes progressive paralysis. She can still make sounds, but her words have become unintelligible, leaving her reliant on a writing board or iPad to communicate. Now, after volunteering to receive a brain implant, the woman has been able to rapidly communicate phrases like “I don’t own my home” and “It’s just tough” at a rate approaching normal speech. Author(s) Source Regalado A MIT Technology Review, January 24, 2023 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

A high-performance speech neuroprosthesis

January 21, 2023Speech brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to restore rapid communication to people with paralysis by decoding neural activity evoked by attempted speaking movements into text or sound.Early demonstrations, while promising, have not yet achieved accuracies high enough for communication of unconstrainted sentences from a large vocabulary. Here, we demonstrate the first speech-to-text BCI that records spiking activity from intracortical microelectrode arrays. Finally, we highlight two aspects of the neural code for speech that are encouraging for speech BCIs: spatially intermixed tuning to speech articulators that makes accurate decoding possible from only a small region of cortex, and a detailed articulatory representation of phonemes that persists years after paralysis. These results show a feasible path forward for using intracortical speech BCIs to restore rapid communication to people with paralysis who can no longer speak. Author(s) Source Willett F, Kunz E, Avansino D et al. bioRχiv Jan 21, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.21.524489 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Feasibility Study of the BrainGate Neural Interface System

January 13, 2023Interim Safety Profile From the Feasibility Study of the BrainGate Neural Interface SystemBrain computer interfaces (BCIs) are being developed to restore mobility, communication, and functional independence to people with paralysis. Though supported by decades of preclinical data, the safety of chronically implanted microelectrode array BCIs in humans is unknown. We report safety results from the prospective, open-label, non-randomized BrainGate feasibility study (NCT00912041), the largest and longest-running clinical trial of an implanted BCI. Results: From 2004 – 2021, fourteen adults enrolled in the BrainGate trial had devices surgically implanted. The average duration of device implantation was 872 days, yielding 12,203 days of safety experience. There were 68 device-related adverse events, including 6 device-related serious adverse events. The most common device-related adverse event was skin irritation around the percutaneous pedestal. There were no safety events that required device explantation, no unanticipated adverse device events, no intracranial infections, and no participant deaths or adverse events resulting in permanently increased disability related to the investigational device. Discussion: The BrainGate Neural Interface system has a safety record comparable to other chronically implanted medical devices. Given rapid recent advances in this technology and continued performance gains, these data suggest a favorable risk/benefit ratio in appropriately selected individuals to support ongoing research and development. Author(s) Source Rubin DB, Ajiboye AB, Barefoot L et al. Neurology.org, January 13, 2023, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000201707 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Total Ankle Replacement Versus Arthrodesis for End-Stage Ankle Osteoarthritis">Total Ankle Replacement Versus Arthrodesis for End-Stage Ankle Osteoarthritis

Total Ankle Replacement Versus Arthrodesis for End-Stage Ankle Osteoarthritis">

Total Ankle Replacement Versus Arthrodesis for End-Stage Ankle Osteoarthritis">December 31, 2022End-stage ankle osteoarthritis causes severe pain and disability. There are no randomized trials comparing the 2 main surgical treatments: total ankle replacement (TAR) and ankle fusion (AF). Between 6 March 2015 and 10 January 2019, a total of 303 patients were randomly assigned. At 52 weeks, the scores improved for both groups. The adjusted difference showed that TAR improved more than AF, but the difference was not considered clinically or statistically significant. The number of adverse events was similar between groups, but there were more wound healing issues in the TAR group and more thromboembolic events and nonunion in the AF group. The symptomatic nonunion rate for AF was 7%. A post hoc analysis suggested superiority of fixed-bearing TAR over AF. Author(s) Source Goldberg AJ, Chowdhury K, Bordea E et al. Annals of Internal Medicine, 12-2022, https://doi.org/10.7326/M22-2058 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Brain stimulation boosts hearing in rats with ear implants

December 21, 2022Study identifies neurons that can improve sound perception, which could explain the variation in performance in people with cochlear devices. Stimulating neurons that are linked to alertness helps rats with cochlear implants learn to quickly recognize tunes, researchers have found. The results suggest that activity in a brain region called the locus coeruleus (LC) improves hearing perception in deaf rodents. Researchers say the insights are important for understanding how the brain processes sound, but caution that the approach is a long way from helping people. Cochlear implants use electrodes in the inner-ear region called the cochlea, which is damaged in people who have severe or total hearing loss. The device converts acoustic sounds into electrical signals that stimulate the auditory nerve, and the brain learns to process these signals to make sense of the auditory world. Some people with cochlear implants learn to recognize speech within hours of the device being implanted, whereas others can take months or years. “This problem has been around since the dawn of cochlear implants, and it shows no signs of being resolved” (Gerald Loeb, USCLA). Researchers caution that stimulating the LC in humans could be dangerous. The region sends signals to many brain regions, and regulates the fight-or-flight response. Stimulating the LC in people “would raise blood pressure and heart rate, and other autonomic responses”, says Graeme Clark, an otolaryngologist in the Graeme Clark Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia, who developed the first multi-channel cochlear implant in the 1970s. “We would have to do a series of experiments to prove that it is something worth doing.” Author(s) Source Naddaf M nature, 21 Dec 2022doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04553-z This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Locus coeruleus activity improves cochlear implant performance

December 21, 2022Cochlear implants (CIs) are neuroprosthetic devices that can provide hearing to deaf people. Despite the benefits offered by CIs, the time taken for hearing to be restored and perceptual accuracy after long-term CI use remain highly variable. CI use is believed to require neuroplasticity in the central auditory system, and differential engagement of neuroplastic mechanisms might contribute to the variability in outcomes. Despite extensive studies on how CIs activate the auditory system, the understanding of CI-related neuroplasticity remains limited. One potent factor enabling plasticity is the neuromodulator noradrenaline from the brainstem locus coeruleus (LC). Here we examine behavioural responses and neural activity in LC and auditory cortex of deafened rats fitted with multi-channel CIs. Adequate engagement of central neuromodulatory systems is thus a potential clinically relevant target for optimizing neuroprosthetic device use. Author(s) Source Glennon E Valtcheva S, Zhu A, et al. Nature volume 613, pages317–323 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05554-8 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Optimal deep brain stimulation sites and networks for stimulation of the fornix in Alzheimer’s disease

December 14, 2022Deep brain stimulation (DBS) to the fornix is an investigational treatment for patients with mild Alzheimer’s Disease. Outcomes from randomized clinical trials have shown that cognitive function improved in some patients but deteriorated in others. This could be explained by variance in electrode placement leading to differential engagement of neural circuits. To investigate this, we performed a post-hoc analysis on a multi-center cohort of 46 patients with DBS to the fornix. Using normative structural and functional connectivity data, we found that stimulation of the circuit of Papez and stria terminalis robustly associated with cognitive improvement. On a local level, the optimal stimulation site resided at the direct interface between these structures. Finally, modulating specific distributed brain networks related to memory accounted for optimal outcomes. Findings were robust to multiple cross-validation designs and may define an optimal network target that could refine DBS surgery and programming. Author(s) Source Ríos AS, Oxenford S, Neudorfer C et al. Nat Commun 13, 7707 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34510-3 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Sensitive drill for hearing implants

December 9, 2022Inserting the implant into the inner ear is not without risks, as facial nerves can be injured in the process. Empa researchers have developed a new type of “smart” drill that minimizes this risk by automatically switching itself off when near nerves. Methods of “advanced manufacturing” could also lead to remarkable progress in other implantological fields. Here one can consider spinal surgery or dental implantology in the inferior mandibular nerve area. In combination with 3D planning and robotics, the procedure can be made not only safer but also much more minimally invasive. This also minimizes postoperative side effects. Author(s) Source EMPA Eidg. Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt BusinessLink 09.12.2022 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

The human cost of neurotechnology failure

December 6, 2022When the makers of electronic implants abandon their projects, people who rely on the devices have everything to lose. Hundreds of thousands of people benefit from implanted neurotechnology every day. Among the most common devices are spinal-cord stimulators, first commercialized in 1968, that help to ease chronic pain. Cochlear implants that provide a sense of hearing, and deep-brain stimulation (DBS) systems that quell the debilitating tremor of Parkinson’s disease, are also established therapies. When the makers of implanted devices go under, the implants themselves are typically left in place — surgery to remove them is often too expensive or risky, or simply deemed unnecessary. But without ongoing technical support from the manufacturer, it is only a matter of time before the programming needs to be adjusted or a snagged wire or depleted battery renders the implant unusable. People are then left searching for another way to manage their condition, but with the added difficulty of a non-functional implant that can be an obstacle both to medical imaging and future implants. Author(s) Source Drew L nature, 6 Dec 2022 This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...

Musk intends to implant brain computer chips in humans in 2023

December 1, 2022Elon Musk and one of his other companies intend to begin testing computer chips in the brain next year. Neuralink will be able to insert the implant into a person’s brain in 06-2023, Musk announced at his startup’s annual press conference. The interface produced by Neuralink will make it possible to communicate directly with computers through thought, he said. So far, however, the prototypes, which are about the size of a coin, have only been implanted in animals. At the Neuralink presentation, monkeys were shown “playing” simple video games or moving a cursor on a screen with the help of the brain chip. Musk hopes to use the interfaces to cure neurological diseases. The startup is currently developing other implants to be inserted into the spinal cord or eyes to restore mobility or vision. However, Musk says his primary goal is to ensure that people are not intellectually overwhelmed by artificial intelligence systems. Author(s) Source afp/aerzteblatt.de aerzteblatt.de, 01.12.2022 (german original) This is a post of a scientific or business information. The information given here is checked thoroughly by “Implant-Register”. However we can´t be responsible for the content. The content usually is shortened to make it understandable for many. Read the linked original text if you are interested. Contact the publisher, if you have questions. You may inform us about changes of the information to improve the Register. Comments: n/alet us know [...] Read more...