Description
The purpose of this capstone project was to learn about a new technology, Vivistim, as it enhances upper extremity function post chronic ischemic stroke through vagus nerve stimulation paired with repetitive task-specific therapy. This project took place at UK Healthcare Outpatient Neurorehabilitation at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. The AOTA/ACOTE focus areas for this project included education and clinical practice. Specific goals included to learn about the role of occupational therapy in the outpatient neurorehabilitation setting, research background information for case study including ischemic stroke, motor relearning, vagus nerve stimulation, and Vivistim technology, gather observations for case study, and produce and present case study.
Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide with approximately 60% of individuals presenting with upper limb deficits 6 months after a stroke (Engineer et al., 2019). Furthermore, it is common after a stroke for an individual to persist with chronic impairments of the arm and hand (Meyers et al., 2018). Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a common intervention for stroke recovery which works by enhancing plasticity of the motor areas of the brain to improve relearning. When paired with rehabilitation through task-specific training, VNS is showing even greater improvements (Dawson et al., 2021). Specifically, Vivistim focuses on the long-term loss of arm function following an ischemic stroke (MicroTransponder Inc., 2024). This project allowed me to learn about the neurorehabilitation setting by delving into a specific clinical practice area within this setting.
Graduation Date
2025
Keywords
stroke, occupational therapy, vivistim, vagus nerve stimulation, vns, upper extremity deficit, capstone
Disciplines
Occupational Therapy
Degree Type
Open Access Capstone
Document Type
Poster
Degree Name
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Department
Occupational Therapy
Site Mentor
Cameron Mullins, MS, OTR/L, CNS
Comments
Link to presentation: https://youtu.be/SeeMX_xqpDw