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Date: 07-21-09
Name: Peter Haigney or Cheryl Sarfaty
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Phone: 732-937-8521
SURGEONS IMPLANT GROUNDBREAKING DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION DEVICE
AT ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
First New Jersey implant of device offers new hope to patients diagnosed with disabling movement disorders
(New Brunswick) - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (UMDNJ-RWJMS) jointly announced today New Jersey’s first successful implantation of a dual-channel generator, deep brain stimulation device to treat movement disorders, including advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Manufactured by Minnesota-based Medtronic, the Activa PC dual-channel generator deep brain stimulation device delivers small, electrical pulses to precisely targeted areas within both sides of the brain to achieve greater control over the body’s disabling movements. Deep brain stimulation is a surgical technique used to inactivate parts of the brain that cause Parkinson’s disease and its associated symptoms without harming the entire brain.
Shabbar Danish, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ-RWJMS and Director of the Functional Neurosurgery Program at RWJUH, along with Eric Hargreaves, PhD, Clinical Coordinator of the Deep Brain Stimulation Program at RWJUH; and Monika Wyganowska, Neurosurgical Physician Assistant, surgically implanted the device in a 68-year-old New Jersey woman earlier this month. The patient was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and suffered from disabling tremors prior to the surgery. She is recovering well and is expected to enjoy an enhanced quality of life following the surgery.
“The new technology will help provide some relief to her symptoms and will also give her the ability to adjust the stimulation device settings for her own comfort and maximum benefit,” Dr. Danish explains. “It represents a significant advancement for patients who have been diagnosed with movement disorders.”
The Activa PC device stimulates both sides of the brain and has new programming options that give physicians greater ability to fine-tune the electrical pulses to more effectively target specific symptoms. The device also features a hand-held programmer which includes an LCD screen that displays important information that patients need to know, such as the device’s battery status.
For information about this surgical capability or additional neurosurgery programs offered at RWJUH, please call 732-235-7756. To learn more about RWJUH, please visit www.rwjuh.edu . For a referral to a physician affiliated with RWJUH, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter at www.rwjuh.edu/twitter and Facebook at www.rwjuh.edu/facebook .
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About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. RWJUH is the first hospital in the nation to implant the AbioCor self-contained artificial heart since the device received FDA approval in 2006. RWJUH is one of only three sites in the nation approved to offer this groundbreaking technology. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org ). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2008 ranking of “America’s Best Hospitals.” The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated RWJUH as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. RWJUH is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years. Visit us online at www.rwjuh.edu .
About UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey’s premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region. As one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,800 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs.
