Medtronic Secures FDA Green Light for Revolutionary Asleep Deep Brain Stimulation

Medtronic's brain modulation division reported a year-over-year growth in the low double digits for the quarter ending April 26, according to its latest earnings report. During a May earnings call, CEO Geoff Martha highlighted the “strong uptake” of the Percept RC device featuring Brainsense technology, which is a rechargeable system designed to capture brain signals and provide stimulation.

Amaza Reitmeier, the general manager of brain modulation at Medtronic, stated that the recent approval for asleep deep brain stimulation (DBS) represents a “significant advancement” in their surgical offerings. This approval may give Medtronic a competitive edge over devices from competitors like Abbott, positioning the company to tap into a growing market for DBS.

The interest in asleep DBS has surged in recent years, as surgeons have gathered evidence supporting its benefits in specific cases. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery detailed the experiences of a single surgeon who treated 103 patients with asleep DBS at Brigham and Women’s Hospital from 2015 to 2019.

The study’s authors noted several “distinct advantages” of asleep DBS, including shorter surgical times, while also recognizing scenarios where the traditional method might be more suitable. They emphasized that asleep DBS necessitates specialized equipment and intraoperative scanning, which limits the ability to conduct intraoperative stimulation for confirming optimal target placement.

Clearpoint Neuro supplied the neuronavigation system utilized at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In response to a question from an analyst in 2021, Clearpoint's CEO, Joe Burnett, stated that “ some of the materials from different DBS companies are starting to indicate more and more usage of really leaving it up to the physician as to whether the patient should be awake or asleep for these procedures.”