Mountain View, CA - November 21, 2014 - El Camino Hospital announced today that it is the first hospital in Northern California to adopt the use of the Niveus Medical Muscle Stimulation System 110, a thermal-enhanced electrical muscle stimulation intervention implemented to prevent hospital-acquired weakness in patients. This new technology is being used in the critical care of the hospital to enhance other initiatives taken by the hospital to minimize the impact of weakness on patient recovery, including early mobility and ambulation programs and dedicated patient rehabilitation teams for the critical care unit.
"Weakness that develops during periods of immobility is devastating for patients," said Jeanne Lee, director of critical care services. "To prevent ICU-acquired weakness, we are supplementing our existing efforts with the addition of the Niveus Muscle Stimulation System, which can generally be applied early in a patient's stay when more aggressive interventions may be impractical or not clinically appropriate."
Intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness results from immobilization, sedation and other factors related to critical illness. Limb muscle weakness limits ambulation and performance of activities of daily living and leads to increased patient morbidity, extended stays and increased costs to hospitals. It is believed to impact more than 1 million patients annually in the United States. Limited interventions are available for patients who are sedated and cannot actively participate in physical therapy, and current care paradigms do not adequately prevent weakness in bed-bound patients.
The Niveus Muscle Stimulation System 110 was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2013 for maintaining or increasing range of motion of the knee joint; prevention or retardation of disuse atrophy in the quadriceps; muscle re-education of the quadriceps; relaxation of muscle spasms; and increasing blood circulation. It enables an advanced form of muscle stimulation therapy that combines local hypothermia with electrical energy delivery. The system is administered via two 30-minute treatments daily and elicits gentle muscle contractions in the quadriceps. The clinical effects of muscle stimulation include preserving muscle strength and mass, faster time to ambulation, greater walking distance, and improved ventilator weaning.
In a recent study, the Niveus Muscle Stimulation System 110 was associated with superior efficacy and improved comfort compared with a leading traditional muscle stimulation system. Research conducted by El Camino Hospital clinical staff demonstrated that the system is also effective in challenging patients, demonstrating a 97 percent treatment success in obese and COPD patients compared with 43 percent success with a traditional system.
Since the system was launched commercially in the United States, more than 50 patients have been treated at El Camino Hospital. Results have been positive, with patients frequently exceeding physicians' expectations regarding physical function following prolonged periods of immobilization.
The Muscle Stimulation System 110 was developed by Niveus Medical, an early-stage medical device company working to improve outcomes in patient care through the prevention of muscle atrophy and related weakness in long-stay patients. Niveus Medical is an alumni of The Fogarty Institute for Innovation, a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit dedicated to mentoring, training and inspiring the next generation of medical innovators. The Fogarty Institute for Innovation is located on the campus of El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California.
"We were inspired to develop the Niveus Muscle Stimulation System 110 because we are committed to reducing or preventing weakness in patients who are hospitalized over the long-term and helping accelerate their recovery," said Brian Fahey, PhD, founder and CEO of Niveus.
About Niveus Medical
Niveus Medical is a leading innovator in inpatient rehabilitation, developing and commercializing solutions with the goal of improving patient care while also reducing hospital costs. Niveus' first product, The Muscle Stimulation System 110, is a simple intervention that can be deployed daily to prevent or reduce the onset of muscle atrophy and related weakness that develops during periods of patient bedrest. The Muscle Stimulation System 110 is comprised of a small bedside controller and single-day pads that interface with the patient.
