New implantable device offers relief for rheumatoid arthritis patients | WGN-TV
When rheumatoid arthritis attacks, it causes inflammation, pain, and joint swelling. Now, a new, implantable device offers hope for patients struggling to control their symptoms.
At Rush University Medical Center, a focused procedure is performed in the operating room.
“We find the nerve,” says Dr. Webster Crowley, a Rush neurosurgeon. “It runs between the carotid artery and the jugular vein.”
The battery-powered capsule is secured inside a plastic sheath that wraps around the nerve, where it activates the brain to signal the spleen to reduce inflammation. And it does so without suppressing the immune system.