Victhom announces the filing of a patent application to address sudden unexplained death in epilep...( QUEBEC Feb. 11 / Victhom Human Bionic...)

QUEBEC, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Victhom Human Bionics Inc., "Victhom" (TSX: VHB), announced today the filing of a patent application for the detection and treatment of a physiological disorder that most likely leads to sudden unexplainable death in epileptic patients during seizure.

Victhom has recently filed a patent application relating to a method and device aimed at preventing sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) using its neuromodulation platform.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder, affecting about 1% of the population worldwide. Current treatments that aim at treating seizures, include neuromodulation devices for stimulation of the vagus nerve by Cyberonics and a deep brain stimulation product, Medtronic's Intercept(TM) Epilepsy Control System, which is currently in clinical trials. "The death rate among epileptics is about three times that of age-matched cohorts. This statistic may be explained by consequences of epilepsy, but in a surprising number of cases, there is no obvious cause of death", said Mr. Nader Kameli, Chief Operating Officer of Victhom's Neurobionix division. Sudden death from unknown causes occurs in epileptics at a rate 24 times that of the general population. In patients with severe, refractory epilepsy, SUDEP may account for 50% of all deaths. While there is no toxicological or anatomical explanation for SUDEP, evidence suggests a respiratory failure during seizure.

Research has revealed that SUDEP could be avoided by preventing and/or treating both apnea and seizure, ensuring normal recovery from either or both events. The monitoring by our technology of multiple physiological indicators predisposing to SUDEP, like apnea and seizure activity, could be used, in combination with the treatment of seizures, to detect the need for and then apply a treatment for SUDEP. "We believe that our ability to detect and treat apnea in a timely fashion by using our neuromodulation platform co
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