A Parkinson’s patient can now walk 6km (3.7 miles) thanks to an implant targeting the spinal cord. The Guardian reports that the man — 62-year-old “Marc” from Bordeaux, France — developed severe mobility impairments from the degenerative disease. “I practically could not walk anymore without falling frequently, several times a day,” he said in a press release announcing the breakthrough. “In some situations, such as entering a lift, I’d trample on the spot, as though I was frozen there, you might say.” Wearing the spinal implant allows him to walk “almost normally” as the research team eyes a full clinical trial.
I dig how we nowadays can (start) come (coming) up with solutions that can aid even people with worse diseases and symptoms!
magnetosphere@kbin.social 7 months ago
Stuff like this should be great, but all I can think about is how capitalism will ruin it. Will they only make it an “service” available via subscription, and shut off your ability to walk if you don’t pay? Will it require expensive software updates, or only work if you’ve got wi-fi or a cellular connection?
Managing a chronic problem is much more profitable than curing it completely.
Atropos@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Think smaller - it will be determined ‘not medically necessary’ by insurance, and cost $100k out of pocket.
ripcord@kbin.social 7 months ago
God damn a bunch of sad sacks in this thread
vrek@programming.dev 7 months ago
The company I work for makes similar devices. We make spinal chord stimulators en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_cord_stimulator and deep brain stimulators en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_brain_stimulation
The change in people is amazing. That said your estimate is not far off for cost of just the implantable generators, plus the leads. Add on cost of surgery and doctors bills and hospital stays and your probably under estimating.
Not to mention typically it’s the last choice for pain treatment, so it’s a the end of typically years of pain. Also it only lasts for about a dacade due to the battery so you will need to repeat the surgery and buy a new device periodically.
Madison420@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Bingo. Parkinson’s and ms treatments already aren’t cheap.
deleted@lemmy.world 7 months ago
My dad has hearing aid device and every time the battery runs out, he has to replace the battery then go to the brand shop and pay $30 to reprogram it.
He threw it away after first battery replacement.
GBU_28@lemm.ee 7 months ago
They aren’t perfect, but this is why we have an FDA
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I can only speak to our experience, but the MD who put his deep brain stimulator handled his software (and hardware) updates. They were free. Dad was part of their trial (which explains the free part), but I can’t imagine the folk in the clinic what did his implant locking their patients into worse software just because they can’t afford their annual checkup.
Black_Gulaman@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
This kind of technology should be standardized so that if one company folds, you can use other companies to repair your existing one. Or it could have a state counterpart so that the technology will be available as long as the country’s government exists.