OFFERING PATIENTS INNOVATIVE THERAPY TO TREAT BLADDER CONTROL PROBLEMS

Cumberland Medical Center recently announced that it is offering an important treatment option for individuals suffering from bladder control problems who have not had success with common treatments such as medication. As many as 33 million Americans suffer from bladder control problems and, as a result, often struggle with simple, everyday activities. Medtronic’s InterStim Therapy provides another treatment option for addressing symptoms, such as leaking, urgency and frequency, allowing individuals to experience an improved quality of life.

“ A diagnosis of overactive bladder or urinary retention often represents a significant impairment in quality of life, and many patients experience symptoms for a long time before they are comfortable discussing them with a doctor,” said Dr. Izzuddin Mansur, urologist. “InterStim Therapy at Cumberland Medical Center will extend hope to urinary patients who were previously told their bladder control problem was not treatable or had not had success with other interventions, such as drug therapy, fluid and diet changes or pelvic floor exercises.”

InterStim Therapy is the only sacral nerve stimulation system available. The therapy, which is similar to a pacemaker for the bladder, uses mild electrical pulses to target the communication problem that exists between the sacral nerves (near the tailbone that control the bladder) and the brain to tell the bladder to work correctly.

“ Before InterStim Therapy, patients who do not respond to drug therapy were limited mainly to irreversible bladder surgery or a lifetime of absorbent pads,” said Dr. Gary Wikert, urologist. “InterStim Therapy has helped tens of thousands of patients overcome embarrassing leaking accidents, the overwhelming need to be close to a bathroom at all times and constant preoccupation with their bladders.”

InterStim Therapy provides another treatment option for addressing overactive bladder symptoms, such as leaking, urging and frequency, allowing some individuals to experience relief from their symptoms. In addition to risks related to a medical procedure, complications from this therapy can include pain, infection, sensation of electrical shock, device problems, undesirable change in voiding function, and lead migration, among others.

The InterStim Therapy procedure is available at Cumberland Medical Center. Established in 1950, Cumberland Medical Center is a not-for-profit medical center with 149 private patient rooms. Fully accredited by the Joint Commission, the acute care hospital offers all private patient rooms as well as specialized services not usually found in the rural medical system. For seriously ill patients, there is advanced medical and surgical services found at CMC including telemetry monitored beds and an intensive care unit. Additionally, Cumberland Medical Center offers an Outpatient Imaging Center, Same Day Surgery Unit, Sleep Disorder Center, Regional Cancer Center, Durable Medical Equipment Services Division, and the Cumberland Physician Group as some of its outpatient service lines. CMC also offers an in-house Cardiac Cath Lab and an accredited Chest Pain Center as joint ventures with the Saint Thomas Heart Institute. The hospital has also added the CMC Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center designed to assist in the healing of chronic wounds related to diabetes and vascular disease as well as the Monterey Clinic to treat those patients located in the outlying area where primary care is often difficult to obtain. The CMC Auxiliary sponsors the Lifeline program, which is an emergency response system for individuals in their homes. A full-service laboratory, radiology department, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and cardiopulmonary services department support these services within the facility and the patients the hospital serves. The Emergency Department at Cumberland Medical Center is staffed by board-certified physician(s) 24-hours a day.

To complete the health team, there are 75 physicians working with over 1,200 employees and 160 volunteers to deliver quality care to the residents of the Cumberland Plateau. The physicians on staff include anesthesiology, cardiology, emergency medicine, endocrinology, ENT, family medicine, general medicine, general surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics, ophthalmology, oncology, oral surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, pulmonology, radiology, radiation oncology, urology, and vascular surgery.

InterStim Therapy for Urinary Control treats urinary retention (inability to completely empty the bladder) and the symptoms of overactive bladder, including urinary urge incontinence (leakage) and significant symptoms of urgency-frequency. It should be used after you have tried other treatments such as medications and behavioral therapy and they have not worked, or you could not tolerate them.

You should have a successful trial assessment before receiving InterStim Therapy. You cannot have diathermy (deep heat treatment from electromagnetic energy) if you have an InterStim device.

InterStim Therapy is not intended for patients with a urinary blockage. Safety and effectiveness have not been established for pregnancy and delivery; patients under the age of 16; or for patients with neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

In addition to the risks related to surgery, complications can include pain at the implant sites, new pain, infection, lead (thin wire) movement/migration, device problems, interactions with certain other devices or diagnostic equipment, undesirable changes in urinary of bowel function, and uncomfortable stimulation (sometimes described as a jolting or shocking feeling.)

If you would like more information about the InterStim Therapy procedure, feel free to contact Dr. Izzudin Mansur at (931) 707-8050 or Dr. Gary Wikert at (931) 707-5313. InterStim is a prescription device. For more information about Cumberland Medical Center or any of its services, visit the website at www.cmchealthcare.org