Paralyzed Patients Hope ReWalk Exoskeleton Gets Approved by FDA
The James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx has partnered with The Mount Sinai Hospital to enroll patients in clinical trials of a robotic exoskeleton named ReWalk and also test another exoskeleton, the Ekso (Ekso Bionics). "All the terrible things that go wrong from a sedentary lifestyle are magnified in a person with spinal cord injury, so any activity that we can provide for them, stands to reason to have benefit," said Lead Researcher Ann Spungen, MD, an Associate Professor of Medicine, Teaching Assistant of Rehabilitation Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital. "Essentially they're a wearable robot," said Allan Kozlowski, MD, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Everybody wants to walk. I have not ever met anyone who does not want to walk again," said Kristjan Ragnarsson, MD, Dr. Lucy G. Moses Professorship in Rehabilitation Medicine, and Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Though not currently approved by the FDA, the device is approved for home use in Europe.
-Dr. Ann Spungen, Associate Professor, Medicine, Teaching Assistant, Rehabilitation Medicine, The Mount Sinai Hospital
-Dr. Allan Kozlowski, Assistant Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
-Dr. Kristjan Ragnarsson, Dr. Lucy G. Moses Professorship in Rehabilitation Medicine, Chair, Rehabilitation Medicine, The Mount Sinai Hospital