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Breakthroughs in medicine help improve two lives
An update on the patients and companies followed in our series this year
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Since launching a series on medical technology's new frontier last March, the Star Tribune has followed the patients and companies we originally profiled. Here's an update:
Richard Bendix, now 69, underwent surgery at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park in March that involved implanting two electrodes in his brain to treat his Parkinson's disease using deep-brain stimulation. Bendix had suffered terrible dyskenesia, a side effect from his Parkinson's medication that involves the telltale jerking and twisting of his limbs.
The electrodes receive a constant stream of electricity from twin "brain pacemakers" made by Fridley-based Medtronic Inc. that were later implanted in his chest.
The procedure was an immediate success. Bendix could drive, after years of inactivity, shovel his walks in front of his St. Paul home, and mow the lawn.
But last month, Bendix discovered that lymphoma had struck again after he was successfully treated for the cancer in 2002. Bendix is currently undergoing chemotherapy.
"We're good," says his wife, Midge. "We'll get through it."
A second patient we profiled in April, Jerene Olson of St. Francis, remains pleased with the experimental treatment she received for peripheral arterial disease, or blockages in the arteries that supply the legs with blood. The disease caused Olson, a 61-year-old mother of three and grandmother, to experience painful cramping in her legs while exercising.
Olson was treated at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids with a "Roto-Rooter"-like device made by Cardiovascular Systems Inc. (CSI), a privately held firm in New Brighton. The device's diamond-encrusted crown was inserted through her groin and threaded into her leg, where it sanded and pulverized the plaque, clearing the artery and restoring blood flow.
"So far, I think it turned out all right,'' Olson said last week. "I'm glad I did it."
Meanwhile, in September, the CSI device used on Olson received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, meaning it can now be sold in the United States. In November, a second device treating bigger vessels was cleared for sale, as well.
CSI's vice president of sales and marketing, John Borrell, says sales of the device, called the Diamondback 360° Orbital Atherectomy System, are brisk. The company is adding sales staff and expanding their territory.
JANET MOORE
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