St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) said the FDA has approved its Protégé IPG. According to the company, Protégé is the first neurostimulation system that allows spinal cord stimulation (SCS) technology upgrades as they are approved to be made via software updates. Chronic pain sufferers implanted with this new device can access innovative therapies, stimulation modes, diagnostics or other features once approved through future software upgrades without the need to surgically replace their medical device. Until now, one of the greatest challenges with neurostimulation has been giving patients access to the latest technologies without surgically replacing their device, St. Jude said.