FDA approves Medtronic app that helps manage chronic pain
A personal therapy application that helps patients who suffer from chronic pain was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Medtronic’s personal therapy manager (myPTM) app was designed to help patients manage their chronic pain and promotes collaboration between a physician and the app’s user. The app works with Medtronic’s pain pump to deliver medication to patients with a goal of providing “long-term pain relief at lower doses” to reduce the use and need of opioids, according to a press release.
Through the app, doctors can set daily therapeutic dose limits and are alerted if a patient exceeds their prescribed limit. The app also allows doctors to track a patient’s progress and set therapy goals.
"Pain is very personal and can be unpredictable. myPTM is a simple, easy-to-use device that allows my patients to personalize their treatment based on their day-to-day needs," John A. Hatheway, MD, owner and provider at Northwest Pain Care, said in a statement. "Enabling patients to adjust their treatment provides them with some independence to control their pain and gives me confidence knowing that they are getting pain relief without oral opioids.”
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed new opioid bills into law in the country’s ongoing fight against the opioid epidemic.
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.