St. Jude Medical’s Proclaim Elite Spinal Cord Stimulation Awarded CE Mark for Full-Body MRI

St. Jude Medical Inc. today announced CE mark approval for full-body magnetic resonance (MR) conditional labeling of the Proclaim Elite Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) System. With the latest approval, patients who receive the Proclaim Elite SCS System can now undergo full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnostic scans within approved parameters. The full-body MR conditional labeling is the second upgrade available to patients outside the United States implanted with the Proclaim Elite System, following a 2015 approval for MR Conditional labeling for head and extremity MRI scans.
 
With the latest approval, patients living with chronic pain who have been implanted with the Proclaim Elite SCS System may now undergo full-body MRI diagnostic scans within approved parameters while retaining access to the treatments they need, such as the St. Jude Medical BurstDR stimulation.
 
“Providing patients with a multitude of therapy options in one device has positively impacted the way we treat chronic pain patients today,” said Dirk Rasche, M.D., functional neurosurgeon, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Germany. “Patients now do not only have access to both traditional SCS and BurstDR stimulation, they can also safely undergo MRI scans, a significant improvement for future neuromodulation therapy and diagnostic options.”
 
The Proclaim Elite SCS System offers patients a combination of the convenience of a device that doesn’t require recharging while offering access to St. Jude Medical BurstDR stimulation technology. BurstDR stimulation is a physician-designed form of SCS clinically proven to provide patients superior pain relief (as compared to tonic stimulation) by reducing their physical pain and addressing their emotional response to pain as measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) scoring. Unlike other stimulation designs, St. Jude Medical BurstDR stimulation works differently, utilizing intermittent “burst” pulses designed to mimic the body’s natural nerve impulse patterns.
 
St. Jude Medical was the first company to provide patients suffering from chronic pain a single device featuring upgradeable and recharge-free therapy solutions. The company designed the Proclaim System with patient-centric solutions in mind. In addition, the Proclaim Elite SCS System’s Bluetooth wireless technology allows clinicians to program and adjust their patient’s SCS therapy with an Apple iPad mini mobile digital device.
 
“Historically, the need for future MRI scans could act as a barrier to patients who may benefit from SCS therapy,” said Dr. Allen W. Burton, medical director of neuromodulation and vice president of medical affairs at St. Jude Medical. “Our new labeling for the Proclaim Elite SCS System ensures that patients can receive the treatment they need, while having peace of mind knowing their SCS system can be safely scanned with the diagnostic imaging they require.”
 
Nearly 95 million Europeans suffer from chronic pain, and the condition costs European health care systems a combined total of 300 billion Euro annually due to associated medical costs, lost work days and social security and welfare payments. SCS therapy can offer many patients meaningful pain relief and improvements in quality of life, yet for some patients the need for future MRI scans can act as a barrier to SCS therapy.
 
Full body MR-conditional labeling for the Proclaim Elite System was also recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States.