Focusing on You: Tiny Device Provides Relief for Overactive Bladder

Raveen Syan, M.D., is a urologist at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, part of the University of Miami Health System, who specializes in pelvic floor disorders. For information on urologic  treatments and services offered, click here.

MEET DANA PRYTULA:

A disruptive and debilitating condition had Dana Prytula running to the bathroom.

“I would have to be in the restroom every 15 to 20 minutes. It affected my social life, my professional life,” says Dana.

Dana went to see Raveen Syan, M.D., a urologist at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute – part of the University of Miami Health System – who specializes in pelvic floor disorders.

“Overactive bladder is actually a very common disorder that is a diagnosis based on clinical symptoms. So that’s going often or urgently to the bathroom, with or without waking up a lot at night to pee, with or without leakage,” Dr. Syan says.

This tiny device implanted underneath the skin is changing the way people are getting relief from overactive bladder.

“The most effective procedure is the sacral nerve stimulator. This is a lot like a pacemaker for the heart. What it’s composed of is a tiny wire that sits under the skin right at the tailbone level,” says Dr. Syan.

The device provides electrical stimulation to the nerves that act on the bladder and bowel.

“It improves the bladder function by making the bladder contract less frequently, less intensely so that urgency is improved. It also impacts the way our brain is interpreting the signals from the bladder,” Dr. Syan says.

“The very next day I felt the difference in my usage in the bathroom,” Dana says.

Patients charge the device once a month at home.

“You put the charging pad against the battery, watch a TV show, once a month, and then you’re done,” says Dr. Syan.

Now Dana can travel without constantly stopping for bathroom breaks. She couldn’t be more grateful to Dr. Syan and the UHealth team.

“She’s amazing, I would call her a lifesaver,” says Dana.

Video transcript compiled by Janna Ross for ‘Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine,’ a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10.  For more stories like this one, visit UHealth’s YouTube channel.

Tags: Dr. Raveen Syan, focusing on you, overactive bladder, pelvic floor disorders, sacral nerve stimulator, urinary incontinence, urologist, Urology