> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.fdaweb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# FDA OKs St. Jude Medical BurstDR for Pain Relief
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/fda-oks-st-jude-medical-burstdr-for-pain-relief/
- Published: 2016-10-04T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T21:36:48.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Devices, #legacy-id-D5136982

FDA has approved a St. Jude Medical PMA for the BurstDR stimulation, a physician-designed [spinal cord stimulation](http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sjm.com%2Fen%2Fpatients%2Fchronic-pain%2Fmanaging-chronic-pain%2Fspinal-cord-stimulation-therapy&esheet=51432459&newsitemid=20161004005719&lan=en-US&anchor=spinal+cord+stimulation&index=1&md5=5cbe0b54ff5dd55bd1f0192db115ff02&ref=fdaweb.com) (SCS) for treating chronic pain. BurstDR stimulation “works differently from other stimulation designs, utilizing intermittent ‘burst’ pulses designed to mimic the body’s natural nerve impulse patterns,” the company says.

Approval was based on data from the SUNBURST study, a prospective, randomized multicenter study which confirmed BurstDR stimulation offered superior pain relief over traditional SCS and that the therapy was preferred by most patients over traditional SCS therapy, St. Jude says. Patients receiving new implants of the Proclaim Elite and Prodigy MRI spinal cord stimulation systems will have immediate access to the new therapy, it says. Additionally, patients previously implanted with upgradeable Protégé and Proclaim SCS systems will soon be able to upgrade their systems to deliver BurstDR stimulation without additional surgery.