Pittsburgh men among first to use device to regain movement following stroke

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Two Pittsburgh men are among the first to use a new device to regain movement following a stroke.
It’s a small pacemaker-like medical device first intended for epilepsy patients, but now it’s delivering hope to stroke survivors. KDKA Consumer Investigator Meghan Schiller talked to the two men who said they have a new lease on life.
Almost everyone takes opening a door for granted. Dean Heffernan did until he couldn’t do it anymore.
“I wasn’t someone who took things for granted. But I look back now at things I used to be able to do without thinking, and now it’s a real challenge.”
Heffernan’s before video shows him struggling to wrap his fingers around a doorknob. But after getting a new device called Vivistim implanted in his chest, his after video shows him maneuvering a deadlock and opening the door.
“It wasn’t like an on-off switch where all of a sudden I was able to use the hand,” said Heffernan. “It was more that the therapy would go so much quicker. Things I couldn’t do this week we would come back and try next week and I would be making much quicker progress.”
Heffernan is just one of two Pittsburgh stroke survivors rocking the device in his chest, implanted by Allegheny Health Network neurosurgeon Dr. Alexander Whiting.
Paired with intense physical therapy, Neuroaxis Rehab’s owner Kelsey Harris describes the device as Google Maps to help her patients’ brains find new pathways.
“But when that route to work or grocery store has a car accident or they’re doing construction, you have to figure out how to get around that,” Harris said. “And you can still get to the grocery store or work, but you need to figure out the alternate route to get there.”
The FDA-approved device means Scott Pavlot can pick up his bass guitar again. His before video shows his hand barely able to stay in place, but you can hear the progress in his after video.
“I had to get a ukelele bass which is smaller, but now I can stand up with my big bass and kind of muddle through a few songs,” said Pavlot.
Regaining movement is the key, but it’s what that movement means. Pavlot can still run the successful non-profit organization West View Hub and make his favorite dumplings again.
“During the first two months of a stroke, your recovery is accelerated. Then it slows down,” said Pavlot. “Vivistim has brought back the acceleration and makes me believe that I will get back everything.”
Heffernan can now hook up his dog Charlie’s collar and leash and prepare to soon volunteer his time again as a pilot with the non-profit organization No Dogs Left Behind.
“I’m going to do everything I can to get better as quickly as possible so I can get back to my passion and profession,” said Heffernan.
Harris said stroke survivors need to be at least six months out from their stroke but there are no other time limits, meaning a person could have suffered a stroke eight years ago and still try to benefit from the device.