India Medtronic Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Medtronic plc announced the launch of the Percept PC Deep Brain Stimulation system. The system enabled with BrainSense technology is designed to capture brain signals while simultaneously delivering therapeutic stimulation, inside and outside the clinic. Ergonomically designed, the Percept PC device offers enhanced comfort and is indicated for patients with Parkinson’s disease, tremor, dystonia, and epilepsy.
In 2016, it was estimated that 6.1 million people worldwide had Parkinson’s disease. The prevalence in India was estimated to be 10% of the global burden, that is, 5.8 lakhs.1 Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that eventually causes severe disability due to the increasing severity of treatment‑resistant motor problems and non‑motor symptoms. Overall, movement disorders constitute 3-8% of neurological disorders in India with a crude prevalence rate (CPR) varying from 31 to 45/100,000 above 60 years of age.
DBS therapy for movement disorders has gained acceptance and widespread clinical use in recent years. DBS is an individualized therapy delivered from a small pacemaker-like device, placed under the skin of the chest or abdomen, to send electrical signals through very thin wires (leads) to a targeted area in the brain related to the symptoms of a neurological disorder.
“Medtronic has always been committed to changing the standard of care and improving patient outcomes. With Percept PC, physicians can now track patient brain signals and correlate these with patient-recorded actions or experiences such as symptoms, side-effects, or medication intake. This allows for more personalized, data-driven neurostimulation treatment. Medtronic is working towards devising meaningful innovations that harness the power of data to improve overall care and efficiency,” said Rahul Arora, head of Neurosciences Therapy, Medtronic India.
In addition to BrainSense technology, the Percept PC DBS system features several leading-edge innovations, including:
• The only DBS system eligible for 3T and 1.5T full-body MRI scans, providing patients access to cutting-edge medical imaging.
• Smart battery for personalized prediction of remaining battery life providing elevated peace of mind while planning for device replacement.
• Improved battery longevity compared to Medtronic’s Activa™ PC neurostimulator (when using similar settings and functionality) in a smaller (reduced volume), ergonomic design for patient comfort.
• Low pulse width (duration of the pulse), providing expanded stimulation options.
• Enhanced Patient Programmer leveraging a user-friendly, custom-configured Samsung mobile device that allows patients to manage their therapy easily.
• Designed to facilitate expanded capabilities in the future via software upgrades – to prepare for what’s next in DBS.
The first Level I randomized controlled trial of Medtronic DBS Therapy for Parkinson’s disease-indicated DBS (subthalamic nucleus target) patients with recent onset of motor complications achieved a 20% statistically significant improvement in time with good mobility and no troublesome dyskinesia (2.1 hours from baseline) compared to 2% (0.2 hours) with best medical therapy (BMT) alone at 24-month follow-up.
