Radio devices may help injured, group says

[unhappycamper]

Radio devices may help injured, group says
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Nov 20, 2009 14:57:29 EST

A nonprofit medical foundation is trying to convince the Defense Department to loosen restrictions on the radio spectrum to allow wide use of micro-stimulators to treat spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and other disorders that restrict or prevent movement.

David Hankin, chief executive officer of the Alfred Mann Foundation, said Friday the California-based medical research organization has been working for nine years on technology that implants micro-stimulators in paralyzed or impaired limbs to produce small electrical pulses that stimulate nerves and muscle tissue. In some cases, this allows mobility or function in limbs. In other cases, it prevents atrophy, Hankin said.

The tiny devices, about the size of a car fuse, are magnetically rechargeable so they can remain implanted for up to 10 years, Hankin said.

The foundation has been involved with research and development of several advanced medical devices, including a hearing implant, retinal prosthesis and an implantable glucose sensor for diabetics.

The technology was tested in November 2008 on a Walter Reed Army Medical Center patient who had suffered a spinal cord injury in a bicycle accident, succeeding in restoring hip, knee and ankle function, Hankin said. The former Army officer, who did not want his name released, was able to move his limbs without electrical stimulation five months after they were inserted. This is a sign of the potential of the device that is expected to be part of clinic trials in Army and Navy hospitals and within the Veterans Affairs Department, Hankin said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/military_medical_microstimulators_112009w/