When blood flow is reduced, the heart must pump harder to meet its demands. This can lead to painful attacks associated with angina. This procedure has proven to not only decrease pain by 50 to 70 percent, but improve the patient s overall quality of life as well. In SCS for chronic angina, neuroelectrodes are implanted over the spinal cord and a receiver, which is programmed to receive a certain number, type and pattern of electrical impulses, is placed under the patient s skin. The system works by blocking pain messages from the spinal cord to the brain by sending an electrical impulse to selected nerve fibres in the spinal cord via a transmitter - a small external device about the size of a pager.
Patients can turn the system off throughout the day simply by turning off the power source.
The receiver also can be reprogrammed to increase or decrease the amount, type, and pattern of impulses as needed, but this is usually done by a physician. European practitioners have used spinal cord stimulation for decades as a treatment modality for angina. In recent studies conducted in Sweden on more than 100 patients, researchers report that spinal cord stimulation helps the heart work more efficiently and, therefore, reduces the amount of oxygen needed by the heart. As it gains more acceptance in North America, it will probably represent a safe and successful therapeutic option for a significant portion of patients with heart disease. Any question regarding a medical diagnosis, treatment, referral, drug availability or pricing should be directed to either a licensed physician or to the product's manufacturer.