Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40022501›Full record

ReviewPain management2025

Altius electrical nerve stimulation for post-amputation pain treatment: a comprehensive review.

Syed I Khalid, Nikhil Veludandi, Chibueze Agwu, Konstantin V Slavin

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Pain management, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Syed I KhalidDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4710-1688
Nikhil VeludandiDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Chibueze AgwuPritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2458-1025
Konstantin V SlavinDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7946-8639

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Post-amputation pain (PAP), which includes both residual limb and phantom limb pain, affects up to 85% of amputees and severely impairs quality of life, mobility, and psychological well-being while incurring substantial healthcare costs. Conventional treatments - pharmacotherapy and neuromodulation techniques such as spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation - often provide inadequate relief and are associated with adverse effects like opioid dependence and systemic toxicity. The Altius High-Frequency Nerve Block System is an innovative therapeutic approach that delivers high-frequency alternating current (HFAC) directly to peripheral nerves, inducing a reversible conduction block without paresthesia. Clinical validation through the pivotal QUEST study - a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, active-sham controlled trial - has shown significant reductions in pain intensity and decreased reliance on pain medications in patients with chronic PAP. This review examines the physiological mechanisms of HFAC nerve block, outlines the development and clinical application of the Altius system, and evaluates its safety profile and broader implications for pain management. The findings suggest that the Altius system addresses a critical gap in PAP treatment, offering sustained pain relief, reduced opioid dependency, and improved quality of life for amputees.

Indexed as

Amputation, SurgicalElectric Stimulation TherapyPain ManagementPhantom LimbPostoperative PainHumansNerve BlockAltius systemhigh-frequency alternating currentnerve blockneuromodulationperipheral nerve stimulationPost-amputation pain

Identifiers

PMID40022501
PMCPMC12001544

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.