Device helps Parkinson's patients walk on their own

SGGP November 10, 2023 06:23

Mr. Marc Gauthier, a 63-year-old Frenchman, has long-standing Parkinson's disease and cannot walk.

Mr. Marc Gauthier (center) during a therapy session

He was implanted with a new device designed by Swiss medical technology company Onward Medical. The neuro-support device contains an electric field that doctors at Lausanne University Hospital (CHU) first implanted into a patient's spinal cord. Combined with a pulse generator under the skin of the abdomen, the device sends signals to the spinal cord, activating the leg muscles. Thanks to that, Mr. Gauthier can do chores and even walk.

As one of the leaders of the above project, Professor of Neuroscience at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and CHU Hospital, Dr. Grégoire Courtine said that the electrical impulses transmitted to the patient Gauthier's spinal cord helped him walk like a normal person.

The team is now planning to conduct clinical trials of the device on six new patients next year.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thiet-bi-giup-benh-nhan-parkinson-tu-di-lai-post713487.html