P-Stim vs the NeuroStim System (NSS) – There is No Comparison

Four years ago our partners pioneered a similar technology called P-Stim. That device was then and still is utilized in treatment for acute and chronic pain. Their team spent the past several years and a great deal of money developing a new device called the NSS, which was FDA approved on October 2, 2014.

There are prominent studies currently being performed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Milwaukee Children’s Hospital, one with a triple board certified addiction Physician in St Louis on narcotic reduction, and another at the Atlanta VA. All of these studies have primary end points of pain and narcotic consumption/reduction. The NSS is far superior to the P-Stim for several reasons so it is important to understand the science behind the NSS device and what we are studying in regards to endorphins, sympathetic drive using heart rate variability, and more.

Below are the differences between the P-Stim device and the much improved NSS device. When discussing the differences to a Physician familiar with P-Stim, an important distinction is that the P-Stim was never designed to be utilized as a peripheral stimulator. It was designed as a point stimulator and had its limitations. The NSS is designed as a peripheral nerve field stimulator and more closely functions like other neuromodulation devices being used today (spinal cord stimulators, deep brain stimulators, etc.)

Clinical

The differences between the P-Stim and the NSS are very important to understand from a clinical standpoint. Numbers 1, 2, and 6 are the most significant improvements from a clinical perspective.

  1. The NSS is a neuromodulation device that operates for 5 days instead of 4, produces a field effect instead of a point stimulation, and uses a +- wave length. All of these enhancements in combination better function to eliminate nerve attenuation.
  2. The NeuroStim System uses a needle array instead of a single (1) pin on the end of each electrode.
  3. The NSS lasts for 120 hours instead of 96 hours.
  4. The NSS operates on 3.2 volts instead of 4.3 volts.
  5. The NSS is approximately 1/2 of the size of the P-Stim.
  6. The NSS operates on a neuromodulation frequency and modulates from 1-10Hz every cycle.
  7. The device can be placed in a number of places on the body because of the true field effect it produces.

Placement

1.No multi-point stylusis required to locate the correct placement point as the NSS device is a field (not a point) stimulator.

2.The NSS comes in a surgical kit so that there is no longer a starter kit required. All of the required tools needed are designed for a one-time use and are included in the kit. The P- Stim had external components; E.g., the multi-point stylus which required a one-time purchase.

3.The electrodes are already attached to the needles eliminating that step.

4.No tac-gel or prep-n-stay required as the NSS device has superior adhesive quality which makes for a cleaner application and reduces the procedure time.

5.The NSS is much more secure so less Tegaderm is needed on the patient.

As the P-Stim device was a predecessor device to the far superior NSS device, previous studies and a stimulator comparison chart are available upon request to further understand the differences between the two devices.

*******These comparisons are only to be utilized when necessary.