Phoenix Children's Hospital is the First in Arizona to Offer New Epilepsy Treatment

PHOENIX, Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's, a U.S. News and World Report "Best Children's Hospital," today announced it is the first Arizona hospital to offer a new treatment for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The latest Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy^® ("VNS Therapy") System through LivaNova PLC features the recently FDA-approved SenTivatm implantable generator, the smallest and lightest responsive therapy for epilepsy. The programming system features a wireless wand and interface on a small tablet. Together, the components offer patients with drug-resistant epilepsy a physician-directed customizable therapy with smart technology and proven results to reduce the number of seizures, lessen the duration of seizures and enable a faster recovery.

"The SenTiva from LivaNova represents the next step in caring for children with epilepsy," said P. David Adelson, MD, Director of Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital, Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Phoenix Children's Hospital. "It provides Phoenix Children's clinicians the data necessary to individualize our patients care and target their unique seizure profile."

Phoenix Children's is proud to offer the first epilepsy device of its size to include detect-and-respond mode, designed to prevent seizures before they start by automatically delivering extra therapy and to stop them if they do occur. SenTiva also collects and logs events commonly associated with seizures, including a patient's body position and heart rate variations to assist physicians with developing a personalized approach to epilepsy care.

"This next generation of neuromodulation therapy allows for much more precise monitoring of when patients are having seizures and may also allow for the identification of patients at higher risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy," said Angus Wilfong, MD, Associate Director of Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Chief of Pediatric Neurology at Phoenix Children's.

The VNS Therapy Programming System provides several advanced options and personalized features, including day and night programming. For more information about the therapy, visit: https://us.livanova.cyberonics.com/.

About Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital

Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital heals children with neurological and mental health diseases and disorders so that they can have a happy and healthy quality of life by offering the most comprehensive inpatient and outpatient neurological care and services to infants, children and teens with neurological-related problems. Our collaborative and comprehensive approach to medicine, education and research has resulted in Barrow at Phoenix Children's being the largest pediatric neuroscience center in the Southwest.

We are one of the few hospitals to integrate pediatric neurosurgery, neurology, psychology, psychiatry, developmental pediatrics and rehabilitation in the global care of children. Specialized medical equipment, pediatric patient rooms and pediatric specialists, in addition to a family-centered focus, make the institute and hospital uniquely qualified to treat complex neurological disorders in pediatric patients. For more information, visit: http://barrow.phoenixchildrens.org.

About LivaNova

LivaNova PLC is a global medical technology company built on nearly five decades of experience and a relentless commitment to improve the lives of patients around the world. LivaNova's advanced technologies and breakthrough treatments provide meaningful solutions for the benefit of patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare systems. LivaNova operates as three business franchises: Cardiac Surgery, Neuromodulation and Cardiac Rhythm Management, with operating headquarters in Mirandola (Italy), Houston (U.S.A.) and Clamart (France), respectively. For more information, please visit www.livanova.com.

SOURCE Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital