Flowonix Medical has announced that the first implants of its Prometra II intrathecal infusion pump took place on 5 May, 2015 at St Francis Hospital in Charleston, USA. A Prometra II pump was implanted in three patients: a 56-year-old man, a 68-year-old woman, and a 53-year-old man for chronic conditions, including neck pain and lower back pain. The procedures were all performed by Timothy Deer and Christopher Kim. The patients were reported to be doing well, and Deer and Kim considered the surgeries successful.
“These first implants of the Prometra II infusion system were successful, without any complications,” stated Deer. “The Prometra devices from Flowonix are very accurate intrathecal infusion systems, which are critical to improved patient safety, and Prometra II offers a proprietary flow-activated safety valve or FAV technology, designed to shut off drug flow to the patient if a high flow rate should ever occur during magnetic resonance imaging. Prometra II gives our patients added safety, in case an MRI is ever needed.”
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging procedure that may be contraindicated for patients with certain implanted devices because strong electromagnetic energy may interfere with device function.
“The patients are doing well and will get improved pain relief,” added Kim. “It is a major advantage of the Prometra II system that it has such a long service life. This not only benefits our patients, but also the healthcare system. A recent retrospective study from the Cleveland Clinic found this type of drug-delivery system to be cost effective, even when looking at older and less efficient devices. With the state-of-the-art Prometra II pump, our patients can expect many years of accurate drug delivery at costs that are likely much lower than other forms of pain therapy.”
The study by Bolash and colleagues found the median device longevity of these older infusion systems to be 5.4 years with a median cost per day of US$10.46. The newer Prometra devices have a 10-year service life, which is nearly double that of older systems.
“Prometra II borrows from the outstanding technology of its predecessor, Prometra,” added Steve Adler, president and chief executive officer of Flowonix. “Like its predecessor, Prometra II is a long-lasting device with the most accurate drug delivery available today in any implantable intrathecal infusion system, but it also offers FAV technology for enhanced patient safety. These first implants of Prometra II in the United States mark another major milestone for Flowonix. All of us at Flowonix extend our congratulations to Deer and Kim on the successful implants of Prometra II and we wish the very best to their patients.”
