Abbott’s Proclaim XR Neurostimulator Reduces Chronic Pain

Abbott announced positive results from a prospective, multicenter study, providing the scientific basis for the company’s Proclaim XR recharge-free neurostimulation system for people living with chronic pain. Data from the BurstDR micrOdosing stimuLation in De-novo patients (BOLD) study found BurstDR reduced pain catastrophizing scale scores (PCS) by an average of 62 percent. PCS is a patient reported measure used to determine how pain affects mental state. 
 
The research also found 78 percent of people had a baseline Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score of “severe,” “crippling,” or “bed bound.” After receiving treatment from a Proclaim XR implant for six months, 71 percent had a minimal or moderate ODI score, with 29 percent having a “severe” or “crippling” ODI score. ODI is a diseases specific measurement to determine the patient’s physical level of disability and measure change over a period of time.
 
“Chronic pain is a broad term that doesn’t accurately capture the variety of issues and symptoms people experience as a result of it,” said Timothy Deer M.D., DABPM, president and CEO of The Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias in Charleston, W.Va. “Whether the individual is worrying about being bedridden or experiencing severe pain for the rest of their lives, when we tell people about Proclaim XR, we can share with them the science behind the system to address physical and psychological aspects of pain.”
 
Additional data was also presented at the North American Neuromodulation Society annual meeting from the 269-patient prospective, multi-center, single-arm, international TRIUMPH study, which found significant improvements in physical, mental, and emotional function were sustained for up to one-year, post-permanent implant. Patients also reported reduction in the impact of pain on daily life, resulting in patients becoming more active when measured at one year.
 
“These collective data illustrate the important and promising physical and mental health benefits of the BurstDR stimulation waveform for people living with chronic pain,” said Steven M. Falowski, M.D., director of Functional Neurosurgery at Neurosurgical Associates of Lancaster in Pennsylvania. “We now have clinical evidence that Proclaim XR, using the BOLD dosing protocol, shows reductions in two standard measures of characterizing pain.  The improvements in these two areas are critical factors in creating personalized care plans that help individuals feel better overall and treating the multiple aspects of pain.”
 
It is estimated that 50 million Americans live with chronic pain (pain that lasts longer than six months). About 30 percent of those patients develop depression or psychological effects when they develop a preoccupation with pain that makes it difficult to live a normal life.
 
Abbott’s Proclaim XR system lets physicians identify the lowest effective dose of BurstDR stimulation customized to each patient, optimizing system longevity while maintaining effective pain and symptom relief, and eliminating the need for recharging (for up to 10 years at low-dose settings).
 
“We’re still only scratching the surface of what spinal cord stimulation can do in patients experiencing chronic pain,” said Keith Boettiger, vice president of Abbott’s neuromodulation business. “The more we learn and study the BurstDR stimulation waveform and low intermittent dose stimulation, the more we are able to apply this technology to real world situations. Abbott is proud to be at the forefront of this new way of thinking about neurostimulation and developing truly life-changing therapies for people with debilitating conditions like chronic pain.”