Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – St. Bernards Healthcare announced that Urologist Emma Jacobs, M.D. and her urologic procedure team successfully implanted Arkansas’s first tibial nerve device to help manage bladder control symptoms.
The FDA-approved device, known as Altaviva™, is about half the length of a stick of chewing gum and is implanted near the ankle. It helps a patient control the bladder by restoring communication between it and the brain.
Dr. Jacobs said that more than 16 million adults in the United States experience Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI), a symptom of Overactive Bladder (OAB). While St. Bernards already does several procedures for UUI as a Center of Excellence for InterStim™ therapy, she added that Altaviva represents a breakthrough, minimally invasive treatment.
“Altaviava is unique because it does not require anesthesia,” she said. “Patients who have experienced sudden, intense urges to urinate, often followed by involuntary leaks before reaching the bathroom, can now receive a device with same-day therapy activation, MRI compatibility and a battery that lasts up to 15 years. It’s an exciting option for patients who have struggled to find help for their bladder control.”
Specifically, the leadless device sends electrical pulses to the tibial nerve, helping restore the communication pathway between the bladder and brain.
Recharging is needed once or twice a year under standard settings and will take up to 30 minutes for the device to go from zero to 100 percent charged, eliminating the need for daily at-home charging equipment. This treatment, called tibial neuromodulation, is a proven therapy for reducing bladder control symptoms.
More information on this treatment or available UUI treatments is found here or by calling (870) 207- 2926.
