The Doc Is In!

Katya Naidu takes a look at the yet to be launched state-of-the-art pain management device by HCL

Imagine a doctor who decides to change his patient's drug intake level and instead of walking to his check-up room with his stethoscope, switches on his computer and adjusts the level of the drug. And the patient who is far away and suffering from pain smiles after his pain vanishes, much like magic. The thought is right out of a Spielberg movie but the idea was conceptualised and developed by our very desi HCL Technologies.

The gen next, first of its kind, pain management device comprises of a battery-operated, ultra-low power unit controlled via wireless medium. The device consists of two parts-one part inside the body that contains the drug and the other part with the doctor which is used to regulate drug flow. The device, which is the size of a CD ROM disk, is implanted in the sub-cutaneous layer body via surgery. It consists of an extension, which is close to the pain area and enhances site specificity of the delivery mechanism. And since there is a limit of drug, which the device can take with it at once and surgery is not possible every time it runs out of the drug, there is an option wherein the drug can be replenished through an injection.

Being a device that is to be implanted inside the body, safety was the most important criterion. In case of a critical failure, a feature has been built into the device such that the drug delivery immediately stops.

The device also alerts the patient regarding the failure by sounding an alarm. All-in-all, the implant offers IT support to the doctor making his job easier.

A View From The top

Chronic pain management is not an easy job for the doctor. Arthritis, back pain and spasticity are classic cases of recurrent pain. And doctors constantly face the problem of monitoring drug. Patients tend to self determine the dosage amount depending on the intensity of the pain and overdose themselves. The behavioural angle affects the dosage and makes therapy a difficult proposition. This device completely eliminates the intervention of the patient and makes the doctor the final authority of the dose that enters the system.

The advantages of the implant exist beyond dosage. Variable drug delivery ensures that the same amount of drug need not flow into the body all the time. "If the pain is not that high in the morning, you can programme the device in such a manner that less amount of drug goes in the morning," says Apurva Chamaria, Category Marketing Manager of Life Sciences Division, HCL Technologies. In addition, the device requires minimal drug as compared to normal delivery system.

Unanswered

But many questions like the size of the machine, the site of implant in the body, the battery life of the product, the medium that connects the implant and the controlling device and most of all, the international devices major who has granted this project; are left to imagination. The mystery is yet to unfold and the suspense is on, much on the lines of the sci-fi movie, which the story mimics.