Dive Brief:
- Medtronic said Wednesday it received FDA marketing authorization and has begun rolling out its Accurian radiofrequency ablation system for treatment of chronic pain in the U.S.
- In the ablation procedure, radio waves produce electrical current which heats certain nerve tissue, effectively destroying nerve fibers to decrease pain signals in that particular area.
- The device widens the portfolio of the Restorative Therapies Group's pain therapies unit, which saw close to 5% growth last quarter.
Dive Insight:
About one in five U.S. adults experiences chronic pain, according to the National Institutes of Health, potentially leading to restricted mobility, opioid dependency, anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life. That impact amounts to an estimated $560 billion annually in direct medical costs, lost productivity and disability programs.
Radiofrequency ablation is often used to treat neck, back or joint pain caused by arthritis, as well as peripheral nerve pain. Relief from the procedures can last six to 12 months, or even years for some patients, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
"The Accurian RF ablation platform can perform standard, pulsed, and enhanced procedures using internally-cooled probes to create a comprehensive range of lesion shapes, sizes, and volumes," Medtronic said in a press release. "It has independent channel control and chip-enhanced probes for easy on-screen identification, as well as smart features, such as downloadable procedure reports to support ease of use and efficiency."
Medtronic already offers a range of ablation systems and accessories for pain management, as do Stryker and Boston Scientific, in addition to ablation products for treating cardiac conditions like atrial fibrillation. The company announced in January it was acquiring cardiac ablation player Epix, gaining its CE-marked, DiamondTemp closed-loop, temperature-controlled system, which is used to create scar tissue with radiofrequency heat.
Medtronic's Restorative Therapies Group, the third largest of its four major groups, reported earnings of $2.03 billion last quarter, citing strength of its Intellis platform for spinal cord stimulation. At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January, Medtronic teased an integration system with its Mazor X robotic surgery platform and new DBS enhancements as additional RTG launches coming before the end of fiscal year 2020.