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Drug pump 'significantly' improves stroke patient care
09 Nov 2006
Clinical Research
A new technology for administering a drug to combat the spasticity symptoms typical of stroke patients has shown a significant clinical benefit, according to Medtronic.
The company's programmable pump system delivers Lioresal Intrathecal (baclofen injection) straight into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord.
The direct administration of the muscle relaxant allows a far smaller dose than if the drug were ingested (around one hundredth of the oral dose), thus increasing treatment efficiency and cutting down on any risk of side-effects.
"Stroke survivors face a range of issues, from cognitive deficits to speech and mobility problems," said the medical director of Mentis Neurorehabilitation, Dr Cindy Ivanhoe.
"This research shows that spasticity is one issue that can be safely and effectively managed with ITB Therapy. With spasticity under control, many stroke survivors make better progress with their overall recovery and rehabilitation," she noted.
Patients receiving the treatment saw, on average, spasticity of their upper limbs drop by 31 per cent and spasticity of the lower limbs drop by 42 per cent; the research also showed that unaffected limbs did not weaken as a result of the drug.
The full study is published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation journal.
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