Palex has installed the first high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device in the Canary Island's public health service at the University Hospital of Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín. The device was presented today at an event attended by the Canarian government's Health Minister, Esther Monzón, the hospital's managing director, Miguel Ángel Ponce González, the project coordinator and Head of the Neurology Service, Ayoze González Hernández, and the first patient who was recently treated with this technology at the hospital, Ramón Sendra Sánchez, aged 59.

The University Hospital of Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín is a leading centre in the autonomous community of the Canary Islands in this innovative HIFU technology, which is guided by magnetic resonance that significantly improves tremor without surgery. Between now and the end of the year, between 30 and 40 patients are expected to be treated at the hospital.

The Canarian government's Health Minister, Esther Monzón, highlighted the importance of having this innovative technology in the Canaries, which entails “a highly significant improvement for these patients, allowing them to perform essential tasks in their daily lives and, therefore, regain normality.”

The treatment is performed in a single session lasting two-and-a-half hours and does not require hospitalisation or convalescence. This is an innovative HIFU technology guided by magnetic resonance to eliminate tremors without surgical incisions or hospitalisation, and it offers permanent and immediate results.

The team of professionals, comprising physicians from the neurology, neurosurgery and radiodiagnosis services, is responsible for determining each case's suitability. If the patient in question is a good clinical and radiological candidate, treatment is planned. It's recommended for patients with refractory essential tremor and those with Parkinson's disease, provided the tremor is the main symptom or the incapacitating symptom of the pathology.

A HUGE DEVELOPMENT FOR PATIENT QUALITY OF LIFE

Patients who suffer from essential tremor experience great difficulty when performing daily tasks like writing, washing, using the toilet, and even eating or drinking. These difficulties can sometimes have repercussions on the individual's working life, given that 60% of patients experience a reduction in their labour expectations and up to 15-20% prematurely leave their work activity.

The Exablate Neuro device is an innovative technology that uses high-intensity ultrasounds guided by magnetic resonance to eliminate tremors without surgical incisions or hospitality, and it offers permanent and immediate results. Up to now, patients with these diseases were treated with drugs or deep brain stimulation therapy, which involves inserting a device that blocks the symptoms and requires an invasive surgical procedure, and everything that entails.

With a team of more than 800 people, Palex provides health professionals with the latest, most innovative tools available on the market so they may work as well as possible and provide patients with the best diagnosis and treatment.

ABOUT PALEX

Palex, which was founded in 1955 by the Knuth family, is a company focused on marketing, sales and logistics for MedTech equipment and solutions with high added value in the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian markets. The company has an excellent reputation for innovation, quality and service, and it offers an extensive product portfolio (150,000+ references) from world-leading manufacturers (600+ partners) and its own products in numerous therapeutic areas. Palex has approximately 928 employees, an expected income of €660 million in 2024, and its head office in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona, Spain).

For more information about Palex, visit www.palexhealth.com.