For Abbott, good things come in tiny packages.
The devicemaker’s Liberta RC implant—the smallest rechargeable, remote programming-equipped deep brain stimulation system not just in Abbott’s portfolio, but among all currently available deep brain stimulators, according to the company—has earned the FDA’s approval and will now begin its U.S. launch, Abbott announced Thursday.
The rechargeable implant clocks in at a volume of just 13.79 cubic centimeters, making it nearly a third smaller than other deep brain stimulators from Abbott and its competitors. To put that size in perspective, the company equated the height and width of the Liberta RC device to that of a smartwatch face and suggested that the implant could be placed in a spoonful of water “with room to spare.”
Abbott also touted the stimulator’s long-lasting rechargeable battery, claiming that it requires the fewest charges of any other deep brain stimulation approved by the FDA.
When used with standard settings, the device’s battery should last longer than a month, requiring only about 10 recharges per year, according to Abbott—though users may opt instead to recharge in 30-minute bursts every week.
When a recharge is needed, users simply place a wireless charger over the device’s implant site and can continue to go about their day while power is transmitted to the stimulator. The charger can provide two full recharges before it needs to be recharged itself.
The Liberta RC system is cleared to help treat movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors. Like other deep brain stimulators, it sends out electrical pulses through the nervous system to the brain in an attempt to block the irregular signals causing movement issues.
The system connects to Abbott’s NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic technology, through which patients can communicate with their doctors via video chat and their doctors can in turn adjust the neurostimulation system’s settings from afar. The Liberta RC system is the first of Abbott’s rechargeable deep brain stimulators to connect to the virtual clinic app, which the company said it developed after finding that the average U.S. user of those systems must travel more than 150 miles to reach a movement disorder specialist.
Meanwhile, users can control the system themselves and adjust battery settings through either an Abbott-supplied controller or their own Apple mobile device.
“When our patients choose a rechargeable DBS system, it is often based on the smaller size of the device, but the tradeoff has always been how recharge frequency affects their lifestyle,” Paul Larson, M.D., a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Arizona, said in Abbott’s announcement. “The Liberta RC DBS system excels in both areas, as a compact rechargeable device with the lowest recharge requirement of any FDA-approved DBS system. This achievement, coupled with the integration of remote programming capabilities, is a significant advancement for patients.”