Spectrum Health West Michigan

Spectrum Health Offering Patients New, Implantable Sacral Nerve Stimulation System for Bowel Control

Hospital First in State to Use Therapy to Treat Chronic Fecal Incontinence
Web Chat to be Held on November 28

Spectrum Health is offering a new treatment option for patients with the debilitating and stigmatized condition of chronic fecal incontinence who have not found relief from more conservative treatment options.

Spectrum Health Medical Group colon and rectal surgeon Donald Kim, MD, was the first in Michigan to use an implantable device that stimulates the sacral nerves.  He used the InterStim® Therapy for Bowel Control, a minimally invasive option proven to improve or restore bowel control.

According to a National Institutes of Health-funded study, more than 18 million Americans suffer from bowel incontinence problems. As a result they often struggle with everyday activities, such as traveling or spending time with friends and family.

Fecal incontinence is more common in adults, predominately women, and it is not a normal part of aging. Fecal incontinence can be caused by a variety of factors, including damage to the nerves or muscles in the rectum from pelvic health disorders or trauma such as childbirth.

“Bowel control problems can significantly impair a patient’s quality of life, and many patients are too embarrassed or uncomfortable to talk about the problem with their physician,” said Kim.  “Until now, there have been limited treatment options for people with fecal incontinence who don’t respond to conservative therapies. This device gives these individuals hope for living a more normal life.”

The implantable system uses mild electrical stimulation of the sacral nerves to influence the behavior of the pelvic floor muscles and bowel. As a result, the therapy significantly reduces fecal incontinent episodes for many patients.  This is the only bowel control treatment option that allows patients and physicians to determine probable success of the therapy through a test stimulation procedure prior to committing to long-term therapy.

This therapy uses an implantable system, consisting of a thin wire lead and a neurostimulator, or pacemaker-like device, as well as external clinician and patient programmers, to deliver mild electrical stimulation.  The neurostimulator, about the size of a half dollar, is implanted under the skin above the buttocks, near where the sacral nerves are located.

Kim said this procedure should be used after patients have tried other treatments such as medications and dietary modifications and they have not worked, or if patients are not a candidate for them.

This therapy was approved by the FDA in 2011for fecal incontinence.  InterStim Therapy can be used for both urinary control and bowel control. To date, more than 100,000 people have received this treatment worldwide.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a state of the art children’s hospital that opened in January 2011, and 183 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling more than 700 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 600,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 19,000 employees. The organization provided $204 million in community benefit during its 2012 fiscal year.

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Spectrum Health Hosting Web Chat on Fecal Incontinence

Spectrum Health will host a web chat about fecal incontinence at noon on Wednesday, November 28, from noon to 1 p.m. All Spectrum Health chats can be accessed at spectrumhealth.org/onlinechat.

Colon and rectal surgeon Donald Kim, MD of the Spectrum Health Medical Group will answer questions about fecal incontinence. He is a fellowship trained physician who specializes in the treatment of colorectal disorders and treats patients who have this condition.