Confidanz®: a new approach to overactive bladder, designed for home

Confidanz® is an investigational wearable that stimulates the tibial nerve at the ankle, designed for overactive bladder (OAB), including urinary urgency, frequency, and waking at night to urinate (nocturia).

How it works

With overactive bladder, the nerves that control the bladder signal an urge to go before the bladder is full. The tibial nerve runs from the ankle to the base of the spine, to nerve roots it shares with the bladder. Confidanz sends small electrical pulses into the tibial nerve at the ankle, and is designed to calm those bladder signals.

In the SUmiT trial of in-clinic tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS), 2.6 times as many people improved with PTNS as with a sham: 54.5% of 220 adults said their symptoms had moderately or markedly improved, against 20.9% with a sham. In a 3-year follow-up of the people PTNS worked for, about 3 in 4 were still improved, with 3 fewer bathroom trips and 90% fewer urge leaks a day. That is evidence for in-clinic PTNS; Confidanz has not been tested yet.

How it compares with PTNS today

In-clinic PTNS means a clinic visit every week for 12 weeks. Confidanz is designed to be set up by a clinician and then used at home. Unlike in-clinic PTNS, it has not been tested yet.

Using it

Set up by a clinician: a clinician fits the Smart Patch at the ankle
Paired with the app: the app connects over Bluetooth and guides each session
Used at home: the clinician reviews every session online