FIRST IN NEW JERSEY: Atlantic Health offers stroke survivors the Vivistim Paired Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) device to improve hand and arm function
PR contact: Rob Seman
973-660-3145EmailSUMMIT, NJ – APRIL 11, 2023 – Atlantic Health recently became the first in New Jersey to use MicroTransponder®, Inc.’s Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System, an FDA-approved, breakthrough technology for stroke survivors experiencing ongoing hand and arm impairment.
Vivistim, a small device implanted in a patient’s upper chest area in an outpatient procedure, employs vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) during rehabilitation therapy. New Jersey’s first Vivistim implantation took place at Overlook Medical Center and was performed by neurosurgeon Ronald Benitez, MD.
“We are dedicated to bringing leading-edge, potentially life-changing treatment approaches to stroke survivors throughout New Jersey,” said Dr. Benitez, chair of endovascular neurosurgery at Overlook Medical Center. “Our passion for ensuring our patients have access to the most innovative therapeutic options was a key driver behind our comprehensive stroke center being able to give these patients a renewed sense of hope with the Vivistim System.”
Atlantic Health has a long-standing history of being a leader in stroke care in New Jersey. The Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, based at Overlook, includes the first state-designated Comprehensive Stroke Center. Rehabilitation therapists at Atlantic Health’s Newton Medical Center and Atlantic Rehabilitation in New Providence have been specially trained to use Vivistim in therapy.
Vivistim Paired VNS Therapy helps generate 2-3 times more hand and arm function for ischemic stroke survivors than traditional rehabilitation therapy alone. Since many stroke patients stop seeing the return of function after the first year or so of recovery after their stroke, the Vivistim device offers a potential alternative to recover additional function.
“Stimulating the vagus nerve directly in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation can open doorways to regain function that many patients had thought closed,” said vascular neurologist John Hanna, MD, medical director of Atlantic Health’s Comprehensive Stroke Center at Overlook Medical Center. “It’s an incredible approach which we believe can drastically improve the quality of stroke patients’ lives.”
The first patient to be treated with the device at Atlantic Health, a Succasunna, NJ woman in her 60s who experienced a stroke in 2020, had the device implanted in February and began her rehabilitation using the device in March at Newton Medical Center. She began seeing hand function start to return within two therapy sessions and even more function in successive weeks by using the Vivistim device in sessions and at home.
“The idea behind Paired VNS therapy with Vivistim is akin to giving our traditional rehabilitation techniques a boost from within, by strengthening the patient’s abilities through nerve stimulation,” said David Scott, David Scott manager, Atlantic Rehabilitation Outpatient Services. “This approach can exponentially enhance a patient’s chances of recovering function during therapy.”
During rehabilitation therapy, a therapist uses a wireless transmitter that communicates with proprietary software to signal the Vivistim device to deliver a gentle pulse to the vagus nerve while the stroke survivor performs a specific task, such as putting on a hat, brushing hair or cutting food.
The simultaneous pairing of the rehabilitation exercise with vagus nerve stimulation releases neuromodulators that help create or strengthen neural connections to improve upper limb function and increase the relevance of physical or occupational therapy.
“This collaboration with Atlantic Health to incorporate Vivistim Therapy into their clinical care is remarkable and revives hope for stroke survivors who want more significant improvement of their hand and arm function so that they can get back to doing the things they enjoy,” said Richard Foust, MicroTransponder’s CEO.
With FDA-approved Vivistim now offered at leading comprehensive stroke centers and rehabilitation centers, stroke survivors can ask their rehabilitation specialist or physician for a referral if they are candidates for Paired VNS Therapy.
For more information about Vivistim at Atlantic Health, please email VNSforStroke@atlantichealth.org.
About MicroTransponder®, Inc.
MicroTransponder®, Inc. is a privately held, global medical device company based in Austin, Texas, committed to developing research-based neuroscience solutions. The company focuses on restoring dignity for people suffering from neurological conditions that impair sensory and motor function. MicroTransponder’s FDA-approved Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System is a first-of-its-kind, clinically proven medical technology that generates two to three times more improvement in upper limb function than rehabilitation alone for stroke survivors after six weeks of in-clinic therapy. For more information, visit Vivistim.com.
About Atlantic Health
Atlantic Health is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of 19,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 12 counties and 6.2 million people. The not-for-profit system offers more than 400 sites of care, including its seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ and through its partnership with CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, NJ.
Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,600 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 23 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of six regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across five health systems in the region.
Atlantic Health has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.