An 18-year-old from Washington, Tyne and Wear, has become the first child or young person in the UK to receive a spinal cord stimulator that instantly relieved his chronic pain. Ralph Seed's burning pain turned into a "tingle" after the Inceptiv device was switched on.
Ralph has chronic regional pain syndrome, which had become so severe he considered amputation. He was under the care of the pain team at the Great North Children's Hospital, part of the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
How the device works
Consultant anaesthetist Dr Sachin Rastogi led the procedure. He explained that the device is a 'closed loop' electrode wire connected to a battery similar in size to a mobile phone battery. It is implanted near the spinal cord and sends electrical stimulation that alters how the brain receives pain messages. Because it is 'closed loop', it reacts to Ralph's own movements and nervous system activity, providing tailored stimulation.
Dr Rastogi told ChronicleLive: "With Ralph, we were making slow progress but his pain scores were still really really high. And he and his family asked us simply 'was there anything else?'."
"And so we thought, here in Newcastle we have the National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration - we want to be pushing barriers and trying and trialling the newest technology to help our patients."
"There was this new device - it is a 'closed loop' device. You put in an electrode near to the spinal cord and connect that to a battery which will send electrical stimulation and that can then alter the way that the brain receives messages. Being 'closed loop' means it actually reacts to Ralph's own movements."
"And the activity of his nervous system and this means it can give a more tailored level of stimulation. We feel that this new technology made it much more appropriate for someone of younger age. This is the first in the UK [in a child] and one of the first times this has been done globally."
Life-changing relief
Ralph had suffered from pain for around five years, with everyday tasks like putting on socks causing agony. After the implant was switched on, the pain became a "tingle". He now plans to pursue a career working with cars.
The Inceptiv device is a neuro-stimulation device. Similar technology has been used in adults for conditions such as epilepsy and back pain on Tyneside in recent months. Newcastle is also home to the new National Centre for Neurotechnology and Neurorestoration, led by Dr Luke Bashford and Mr Mohammed Akbar Hussain, who have highlighted the potential of brain-computer interfaces to help patients with Motor Neurone Disease or spinal cord injuries.
