Boston Scientific Debuts New Accessory for Pain Device

Boston Scientific Corp. found the perfect platform this week to launch a new accessory to one of its pain management devices: the American Academy of Pain Medicine Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

The Natick, Mass.-based medical device giant unveiled its new Clik Anchor for the Precision Plus Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) System at the four-day event, touting its ability to improve the speed in which surgeons place the Precision Plus SCS system’s leads—the wires through which pain-masking electrical impulses are delivered to the spine for chronic pain management. Boston Scientific launched two SCS lead splitters for use with the Precision Plus system last June and received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the leads themselves in August.

The Clik Anchor features a locking system designed to improve lead anchoring speed and consistency. Locking into place on the lead with the help of a hex wrench, it provides tactile and audible confirmation for physicians that the lead is secured, the company claimed in a news release.

“The Clik Anchor gives me confidence that the lead is secure,” said Salim Hayek, M.D., a Ph.D., at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. “This new product will benefit my patients and my practice with simpler, more consistent lead anchoring.”

Data from the National Center for Health Statistics indicate that pain is the most common cause of medical treatment in the United States, with an estimated 26 million Americans experiencing frequent back pain. Spinal cord stimulation is a reversible therapy that manages pain through an implantable pulse generator and external devices that control therapy and charge an implant.

Boston Scientific’s Precision Plus SCS System, powered by SmoothWave technology, masks pain signals by delivering independently controlled pulses of electricity through SCS leads. Anchors are designed to secure leads and minimize unwanted migration.

“With the approval and launch of the Clik Anchor, we have added six new products to our Neuromodulation portfolio in the past year,” said Michael Onuscheck, senior vice president and president of Boston Scientific’s Neuromodulation Division, a provider of microelectronic implantable technologies used to treat chronic neuropathic pain. “The Clik Anchor complements our SCS percutaneous leads portfolio, and gives physicians the most comprehensive array of lead options in the market.”

The Precision Plus SCS System is indicated as an aid in managing chronic intractable pain of the trunk and/or limbs, including unilateral or bilateral pain associated with failed back surgery syndrome, intractable low back pain and leg pain.