This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
FDA approves app-based programmer for managing overactive bladder, bowel incontinence
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Medtronic reported that the FDA approved the InterStim smart programmer, an app-based platform that assists patients in the long-term management of therapy for overactive bladder or chronic fecal incontinence.
The smart programmer syncs with the InterStim system, which provides sacral neuromodulation therapy for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) or chronic fecal incontinence (FI). Physicians can personalize each patient’s care, and the smart programmer allows patients to manage their treatment at home in a simpler way, according to Medtronic.
“In addition to simplified programming and ongoing management of InterStim therapy, the smart programmer is discreet, which is meaningful to patients because OAB can greatly impact confidence, intimacy and activities,” Steven Siegel, MD, of Metro Urology Centers for Female Urology and Continence Care, in Minneapolis, Minn., said in a press release. “It takes courage to seek treatment, and many struggle to find long-term relief. My goal is to address OAB symptoms and help restore my patients' quality of life, and I'm pleased to have a tool like the InterStim smart programmer for patients who may benefit from neuromodulation.”
Clinicians can set limits on therapy and let patients make adjustments on their own. The smart programmer, which currently runs on Samsung devices, also lets doctors instantly check patient eligibility for MRI and allows them to access an overview of each patient’s experience with therapy.
“Medtronic pioneered sacral neuromodulation 2 decades ago and we continue to innovate to improve the patient and physician experience and make it easier for more patients to find effective relief from both OAB and FI with the InterStim system,” Linnea Burman, vice president and general manager of the Pelvic Health & Gastric Therapies business, part of the Restorative Therapies Group at Medtronic, said in the release. “The advanced technology of the smart programmer paves the way for future digital health solutions, like digital symptom tracking, and should give physicians and patients confidence that relief and restored quality of life are possible."
Disclosures: Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease could not confirm Siegel’s relevant financial disclosures prior to publication. Burman is employed by Medtronic.
Editor's note: This article was updated on Jan. 28, 2019 to clarify the product was a smart programmer.