Patients Reported Outcomes: A Study on the Use of the Atalante Self-balancing Exoskeleton in Paraplegic Patients

Research Objectives: To quantify the satisfaction and perceived benefits among paraplegic patients undergoing a rehabilitation program using Atalante, a self-balancing powered lower extremity exoskeleton.

Design: Real-world evidence from post-market surveys collecting patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

Setting: 16 European rehabilitation institutions using Atalante with paraplegic patients.

Participants: Paraplegic patients, regardless of the cause, participating in the rehabilitation program who voluntarily completed the surveys.

Interventions: Observational study.

Main Outcome Measures: Patient satisfaction, perceived health benefits and motivation to engage in physical activity after using Atalante in rehabilitation using a Likert scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” (0% to 100%).

Results: A total of 18 participants responded to the surveys. The majority strongly agreed (85.7% ± 17.5) on being satisfied with the rehabilitation program and reported feeling motivated (97.4% ± 7.1) to engage in regular physical activity upon completion of the training. The exoskeleton was highly rated (90.1% ± 17.8) for facilitating easy transfers, with good (71.8% ± 25.7) but not maximal comfort level. Respondents perceived some health benefits: 50% of the participants reported an improvement in arm strength, while 77.8% noticed an improvement in the control of their sitting balance, 66.7% felt an improvement in the general endurance during their daily activities, but fewer participants (38.9%) reported to perceive an impact on the time required for intestinal elimination. Some improvements were also noted in psychological well-being (72.2%) and overall health (62.5%).

Conclusions: The study indicates high satisfaction and motivation among paraplegic patients using Atalante for rehabilitation. Reported benefits include improved sitting balance, endurance, and physical well-being, suggesting the potential of self-balancing exoskeletons in positively impacting patient’s health and encouraging more in-depth quantitative research into long-term health benefits.

Author(s) Disclosures: The authors are employees of Wandercraft, the company developing Atalante. The involvement of the company in this research includes the design and manufacture of the device, and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.