Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories was a big winner at CES 2023, taking home Innovation Awards for their Aveir VR Leadless Pacemaker, Proclaim Plus SCS System, and a monkeypox test. Let’s look at the first two winners: Both are leading edge implant devices with notable features.
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy uses a medical device to mask pain signals before they reach the brain by delivering small electrical pulses to the spinal cord. People often use SCS as an alternative to opioids to manage chronic pain. Abbott’s FDA-approved device specifically uses Burst DR stimulation with short, low-energy bursts that mimic natural patterns found in the brain. There’s no need to recharge batteries; the low-energy design means that Abbott device’s battery can go without a charge for up to 10 years at low-dose settings. The pain management system can work with up to 6 different areas of a person’s trunk and limbs.
Patients have considerably more control compared to other SCS devices thanks to the NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic app. With the app, users can have video chats with healthcare providers, check their device’s functionality in real time, and receive treatment adjustments remotely.
The Aveir VR leadless pacemaker is FDA-cleared for people with slow heart rhythms (bradycardia). Abbott’s self-contained, single-chamber device is inserted through a minimally invasive procedure that doesn’t require an incision in the chest. Retrieving the device is just as easy. One unique feature of the Aveir VR is its mapping capability, which allows doctors to measure the heart’s electrical signals to determine the optimal placement of the implant. At 38 millimeters long, the Aveir is smaller than a standard AAA battery, and the pacemaker has a projected battery life of about 10 years.
Expansion is on the horizon, as the software for the Aveir VR works with a dual-chamber system that Abbott has in the works. Randel Woodgrift, a senior vice president at Abbott, says, “Our goal is to continue to build on the success of Aveir to provide more first-of-their-kind products in the future, revolutionizing how abnormal heart rhythms are treated.”
