A New York company, Assisi Animal Health, has released an upgraded device that uses electromagnetic current to reduce inflammation and pain and promote wound healing in cats, dogs and horses. The Assisi Loop 2.0 is an animal version of SofPulse, which generates a targeted pulsed electromagnetic field (tPEMF) to control pain and inflammation in people. SofPulse, made by Ivivi Health Sciences of San Francisco, is cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Assisi acquired the veterinary rights from Ivivi in 2013. The improved device, the Assisi Loop 2.0, comes in 4- and 7.5-inch diameters and with a strengthened sheath to protect the coil from patients’ teeth and to retain its shape. The smaller unit was unveiled in July at the American Veterinary Medical Association conference. Assisi Animal Health points to the FDA clearance as proof of the technology’s efficacy. The company is both funding and planning clinical trials on the veterinary side—something not required by law. “[We] look forward to helping educate the veterinary profession on the latest innovations in NPAIDs and tPEMF technology to improve the level of care they are providing their patients,” said Assisi CEO John Wilkerson, Ph.D. NPAID stands for non-pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory device, a term coined and trademarked by Assisi. The company sees the Loop as monotherapy or as a complement to laser therapy, acupuncture and NSAIDs—non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs commonly prescribed by veterinarians to treat pain and inflammation. Assisi’s veterinary adviser is Deirdre Chiaramonte, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, CCRT, CVA, who is overseeing the clinical trials and teaching fellow practitioners about the technology and treatment options. The battery-powered loop is intended to be used 15 minutes per session either in-clinic or at home, and it has a lifespan of about 150 cycles before it must be discarded. Strapped or placed on an animal or around a limb, the Assisi Loop 2.0 is designed to penetrate casts and wound dressings, the company stated. An auto-cycle version offers 15-minute treatments every two hours and lasts for up to 100 sessions.
