Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute At Jersey Shore University Medical Center Now Providing Extraordinary Treatment to Improve Stroke Survivors’ Mobility

Newswise — Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center completed its first Paired VNS™ Therapy case with a stroke survivor who has yet to regain her desired hand and arm function after five years of traditional physical and occupational therapy. 

Hackensack Meridian’s experts believe it is possible that 67-year-old Donna Bilella of Ocean, NJ, will achieve life-changing recovery with MicroTransponder®, Inc.’s Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System, an FDA-approved, breakthrough technology that employs vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) during rehabilitation therapy to help generate two to three times more hand and arm function for ischemic stroke survivors than rehabilitation therapy alone.

“Just an improvement in being able to perform day-to-day activities would be great,” said Donna. “But, as a longtime piano player and music teacher, I would love to be able to simply play the piano again.”

To initiate Paired VNS Therapy, the small Vivistim device was placed in Donna’s upper left chest area November 27, during an outpatient procedure performed by Shabbar F. Danish, M.D., FAANS, chair of Neurosurgery, Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) and Dr. Neil Majmundar, Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, JSUMC.

During rehabilitation therapy, a therapist uses a wireless transmitter to signal the Vivistim device to deliver a gentle pulse to the vagus nerve while the stroke survivor performs a specific task, such as putting on a hat, brushing hair or cutting food, etc… Vagus nerve stimulation releases neuromodulators that when paired with rehabilitation exercise help create or strengthen neural connections to improve upper limb function and increase the relevance of physical therapy.

Donna began her six weeks of Vivistim TherapyTM, at Hackensack Meridian Rehabilitation at Neptune, with fine motor skill sessions. “We’re proud to be among the first in New Jersey and one of less than 30 locations throughout the nation to offer stroke survivors this groundbreaking technology to enhance their quality of life,” said Dr. Danish. “The science behind Paired VNS Therapy is impressive because it can help increase neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, to help the brain relearn movements.”

Donna is among the 60 percent of stroke survivors who experience upper limb issues for six months or longer, after their stroke.  Paired VNS Therapy, the first new treatment option for stroke survivors in 20 years, has been clinically proven to help progress upper limb rehabilitation during the chronic phase. While VNS has been an extensively researched treatment option for epilepsy and depression for more than 25 years, the Vivistim System is the first application of it in rehabilitation therapy and to help neuroplasticity.

“The medical expertise of our physicians and the leading-edge technologies they use continually amaze me. I’m proud they are able to provide these advancements to the community we serve,” said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, president and chief hospital executive, JSUMC.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a Joint Commission-designated Comprehensive Stroke Center, has been named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care the past four years by Healthgrades and recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus with Advanced Therapy with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. “Thanks to the speed in which we are able to receive people experiencing a stroke, our expert stroke specialists and advanced treatments, people increasingly survive a stroke,” said Sanskriti Mishra, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center, Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at JSUMC. “New rehabilitation techniques and technologies like Paired VNS Therapy are important as we help survivors regain their function.” 

“We are now part of the team of 30 institutions throughout the country collaborating on studies to assess and improve outcomes of stroke survivors in the chronic phase,” added Ghasan Ahmad, M.D., interventional neuroradiologist for the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. 

“It’s an exciting time for Jersey Shore’s Neuroscience Institute as we continue to expand our world-class patient services and add highly specialized clinicians and advanced medical technologies,” said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, regional president, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health.

Individuals who believe they may be a candidate for VNS Therapy can call Dr. Danish’s office, at 732-974-0003 to make an appointment. For more information about Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/services/neurosciences.

“We’re thrilled Donna chose Vivistim for this next phase of her rehabilitation journey so that she can get back to doing the day-to-day activities and hobbies that are important to her,” said Richard Foust, MicroTransponder’s CEO. “This collaboration among Hackensack Meridian Health’s experts to incorporate Vivistim Therapy into their clinical care is remarkable and revives hope for stroke survivors who want more significant improvement of their hand and arm function. This is just the beginning of giving more stroke survivors in New Jersey access to this innovative therapy.”

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About MicroTransponder®, Inc.

MicroTransponder®, Inc. is a privately held, global medical device company based in Austin, Texas, committed to developing research-based neuroscience solutions. The company focuses on restoring dignity for people suffering from neurological conditions that impair sensory and motor function. MicroTransponder’s FDA-approved Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System is a first-of-its-kind, clinically proven medical technology that generates two to three times more improvement in upper limb function than rehabilitation alone for stroke survivors after six weeks of in-clinic therapy. For more information, visit Vivistim.com.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN JERSEY SHORE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a not-for-profit teaching hospital and the only Level I Adult and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in Monmouth and Ocean counties. It is home to K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. With more than 1,300 physicians and dental staff in 60 specialty areas, the academic medical center's team provides high-quality care in a patient-centered, environmentally-friendly setting.

Jersey Shore's clinical research program and longstanding commitment to medical education is evident through affiliations with Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and St. George’s University School of Medicine. With more than 190 residents and fellows in 19 accredited programs, Jersey Shore advances medical knowledge, trains future physicians and provides the community access to promising medical breakthroughs and clinical trials. The medical center is the first in New Jersey to have implanted a dual-chamber leadless pacemaker and the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System; the world’s smallest pacemaker, and is one of the elite facilities in Monmouth and Ocean counties to perform robotic-assisted, minimally invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery and Transcarotid Arterial Revascularization. In recent years, Jersey Shore launched a Movement Disorder Program, Neuro-Oncology Program, and opened the Dr. Robert H. Harris Neuroscience Treatment Center — a centralized entry point for patients to access a complete array of neurological services. The Center for Paralysis and Reconstructive Nerve Surgery provides the most advanced treatment options to help restore function in patients from around the world who have suffered from stroke, neuropathy, brachial plexus injuries, diaphragm paralysis and other conditions.

Jersey Shore's HOPE Tower is a 10-story medical office building providing a healing outpatient experience with advanced treatment, imaging and lab services, specialty physician offices and a cancer center. The cancer center features a range of leading-edge treatment options, including surgical specialties, medical oncology, Cardio-Oncology Program, and the most advanced radiation therapy and minimally invasive interventional therapies. Hackensack University Medical Center’s Organ Transplantation Division provides transplantation services and Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center provides a bone marrow transplant program and nationally recognized blood cancers program.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center has been ranked as a Top 10 hospital in New Jersey for 11 consecutive years, by U.S. News & World Report, and high-performing in the nation in nine specialties, procedures & conditions for 2023-24. Jersey Shore also received five consecutive 'A' grades for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. U.S. News ranks K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital with Hackensack Meridian Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital as the #1 Children's Hospital in New Jersey for the third consecutive year and nationally ranked in Pediatric Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Cancer and Urology. Healthgrades recognizes Jersey Shore as one of America's 250 Best Hospitals (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), 100 Best Hospitals for Gastrointestinal Surgery and Care (2022, 2023, 2024), 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care in 2023 & 2024 and with Excellence Awards in Neurosciences (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), Bariatric Surgery (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), Cardiac Surgery in 2023 & 2024, Critical Care in 2023 & 2024 and Cranial Neurosurgery (2022, 2023, 2024). For information, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.