Disability Provides Insight into Device Development
What if you could take
what you know about your disability and leverage that knowledge
to create devices that might help others with the same disability?
That’s an opportunity Jason Fowler has as
a Medtronic employee.
After receiving his MBA from the University of Boston in 2004, Jason
began working as a principal financial analyst for the Minneapolis-based
medical device company. Although his position is in the Finance Department,
Jason is sharing his first-hand knowledge of a Medtronic device used
to treat his disability to help the company better understand and
serve its customers.
Relieving Severe Spasticity
with ITB Therapy
In 1991,
Jason began receiving Medtronic ITBTM Therapy (Intrathecal Baclofen
Ther-apy) for severe spasticity that affected his legs and back
after a motocross accident severed his spinal cord and left him
paralyzed from the chest down.
ITB Therapy works by
delivering Lioresal® Intrathecal (baclofen
injection) directly into the intrathecal space where fluid flows
around the spinal cord.
“A programmable pump was surgically placed just below the
skin in my abdomen to deliver ITB Therapy via a catheter to the intrathecal
space,” says Jason. “Because the medication is delivered
directly to the site where it is most effective and doesn’t
circulate throughout my body, side effects are minimized.”
Getting his severe spasticity under control allowed Jason to go
on pursuing his love of racing. Today, he is a world-class wheelchair
racer, having competed in more than 140 road races, 27 marathons,
eight triathlons and the grueling Ironman Triathlon World Championship.
“ITB Therapy has allowed me to basically live without worrying
about my physical disability,” says Jason. “It is a tool
that has helped me be more able. It is not saving my life, but it
is helping me live my life. And in a sense, that is saving my life.”
Sharing Experiences,
Improving Devices
Medtronic’s Office of Workplace Inclusion
encourages employees with disabilities or diseases to share what
they know about their conditions with the company’s broader
employee base. This increases the dialogue around these conditions
and has the potential to lead to therapies to treat them.
For Jason, that means being a resource for the hundreds of Medtronic
employees who work with ITB Therapy or other similar devices.
“Because I live each day with ITB Therapy, I have a unique
perspective,” says Jason. “My hope is that by sharing
my experience with other employees—engineers, customer service
representatives, researchers, sales reps, and marketers—Medtronic
is better able to imagine and design innovative therapies to enhance
the lives of people who need our devices.”
For more information on ITB Therapy, visit www.spastic
ity.com/accesspress or call (800) 856-3823.
Patient Information: Lioresal® Intrathecal
(baclo-fen injection 40 mg/20 mL, 10 mg/5 mL, 10 mg/20 mL, 0.05 mg/1
mL)
Completely read this information before you start using Medtronic
ITBTM Therapy (Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy). This information does
not take the place of thorough discussions with your doctor. You
and your doctor should discuss ITB Therapy before you begin receiving
the therapy and at regular refill appointments.
Q: What is Lioresal® Intrathecal
(baclofen injection)?
A: Lioresal Intrathecal is a liquid form of baclofen, and is commonly
used to treat severe spasticity. Liquid baclofen is used for injections
and infusion into the intrathecal space (the fluid-filled area
surrounding the spinal cord), using an implantable drug delivery
system.
Q: What is severe spasticity?
A: Severe spasticity is tight, stiff muscles that make movements—especially
of the arms and legs—difficult or uncontrollable. Severe spasticity
can interfere with an individual’s function and/or comfort.
Q: Who is a candidate for Lioresal Intrathecal?
A: People who suffer from severe spasticity resulting from cerebral
palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, or spinal
cord injury, and who suffer intolerable side effects from oral
baclofen (pills), may be a candidate for Lioresal Intrathecal.
A screening test will help determine if you will respond to the
intrathecal medication. Talk with your doctor about whether Lioresal
Intrathecal may be an option for you.
Q: Who is not a candidate for Lioresal Intrathecal?
A: People who are hypersensitive (extremely sensitive) to oral baclofen
should not take Lioresal Intrathecal.
Q: What are the most common side effects of Lioresal Intrathecal?
A: The side effects of intrathecal baclofen include loose muscles,
sleepiness, upset stomach, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness.
As with most medications, overdose (drug dose is too high) or underdose
(drug dose is too low) can occur. Talk with your doctor about the
side effects you may experience from your treatment.
Q: What do I need to know if I am using Lioresal Intrathecal?
A: Abruptly stopping intrathecal baclofen can result in serious medical
problems and in rare cases this has been fatal. It is important
to keep your pump filled with medication by attending regularly
scheduled refill appointments.
Q: What are the signs of rapid or abrupt withdrawal from intrathecal
baclofen?
A: Increase or return in spasticity, itching, low blood pressure,
lightheadedness, and tingling sensation are often early indications
of baclofen withdrawal. It is very important that your doctor be
called right away if you experience any of the above symptoms.
In rare cases, severe symptoms may occur. These symptoms include
high fever, altered mental status, spasticity worse than before you
started ITB Therapy, and muscle rigidity. It is very important that
your doctor be called right away if you experience any of the above
symptoms.
Q: What can I do to prevent baclofen underdose or abrupt discontinuation
of intrathecal baclofen?
A: It is very important that you keep all of your refill appointments.
This may require some planning prior to traveling. Maintaining a
regular refill schedule will ensure the pump does not run out of
medication and that any potential problems with the infusion system
are diagnosed and corrected. Additionally, you should be aware of
what your pump alarms sound like. If you hear the alarm, contact
your doctor immediately.
Furthermore, it is very important that you know and understand the
signs of baclofen underdose. Also be sure to tell your doctor right
away if you experience any unusual symptoms, side effects, or changes
in your condition.
Q: What are the symptoms of baclofen overdose?
A: Although rare, it is possible for you to receive too much medication
(overdose). A baclofen overdose may cause drowsiness, light head-edness,
respiratory depression (difficulty breathing), seizures, loss of
consciousness and coma. If you experience any of the above symptoms,
it is very important that you or your caregiver contact your doctor
right away.
This provides a summary of
the most important information about Lioresal Intrathecal. If you
would like more information, talk with your doctor. You can ask for
information about Lioresal Intrathecal that is written for healthcare
professionals. You also can get more information by visiting www.spasticity.com.
Rx only. Lioresal® is
a registered trademark of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
