Recovering from an ischemic stroke can be frustrating. If your stroke has impacted arm and hand function, you may feel especially discouraged: Will I ever peel an orange again? Button my shirt on my own? Write?
Although conventional stroke rehabilitation therapy can help patients regain upper limb function, the results during the first six months after a stroke may only be incremental and after that recovery can plateau. There is now innovative technology that can enhance these results.
One medical device, the Vivistim® (pronounced: vĭh-vĭh-stĭm) System, is an FDA-approved implantable device that helps improve upper limb function for chronic ischemic stroke survivors. There is growing clinical and real-world evidence validating the effectiveness of Vivistim® Paired VNS® Therapy. In a May 2025 article published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Stroke, new findings demonstrate that stroke survivors treated with Paired VNS Therapy for upper extremity deficits post-stroke had improvements in impairment, activity, participation and quality of life for at least one year after completing therapy. The Stroke findings follow a 2021 pivotal trial published in The Lancet that report when Vivistim® is used with stroke therapy, arm and hand function improves two- to threefold compared to intense therapy alone.
Of the nearly 800,000 annual stroke survivors in the United States, an estimated 200,000 may qualify for Vivistim. One survey suggests 98% of Vivistim® users were satisfied with the results
“Vivistim has been life-changing,” said Contessa Siders, who had a stroke 10 years ago. “Within the first six-weeks of Vivistim Therapy, I picked up my 6-year-old son and held him for the first time since my stroke. When I came home for Thanksgiving, I had enough function in my affected hand to hold a fork up and cut my own food.”
What stroke survivors can expect
Vivistim® is implanted under the skin in the upper left chest wall and neck area during an outpatient procedure. Two to three weeks after that, survivors begin Vivistim Therapy with a therapist who uses a remote that sends a wireless signal to the device through a laptop computer. The device delivers a brief, gentle pulse to the vagus nerve while the stroke survivor performs high-repetition, task-specific occupational or physical therapy based on the stroke survivor’s recovery goals.
The simultaneous pairing of the therapy task with vagus nerve stimulation helps increase neuroplasticity to strengthen neural connections with the aim of making therapy more effective.
Vivistim Therapy has helped stroke survivors regain more hand and arm function so they can bathe independently, get dressed, tie their shoes, play the piano, hammer a nail, flip burgers on the grill, write or sign their name, type on a keyboard, and many more activities of daily living.
Stroke survivors using Vivistim® are encouraged to use the therapy at home as well. By swiping the Vivistim Magnet, they can kick off a session while doing routine tasks.
“For 14 years after my stroke, I had limited function in my left hand and arm,” said Capt. Ronald A. Beasley, a retired U.S. Navy Captain who began Vivistim Paired VNS Therapy in November 2024. “Now, I have personal experience as to how Vivistim restores dignity for stroke survivors who are motivated and willing to work hard in therapy. When I take my wife out to eat now, I can use eating utensils to cut my own food and eat; I can pick up and roll our luggage when we travel, and most importantly I can hold my granddaughter without fear of dropping her.”
To find out if you’re a strong candidate for Vivistim, click here. You can also visit visitim.com/safety for more information.
