#Vagus nerve stimulator generator

For reasons that are still not well understood, VNS therapy appears to have some other effects as well. However, seizure control is not the whole story for this type of treatment. Several months may go by before thereвЂ™s any change, followed by a slow but steady improvement. It isnвЂ™t likely to happen immediately after the doctor implants the device. One-third experience some improvement, and one-third continue to have seizures as before.Д®ven when people respond well, improvement usually takes time. Studies show that about one-third of people treated with VNS experience a major improvement in seizure control. ItвЂ™s unlikely to stop seizures completely.

Successful VNS therapy reduces the number of seizures people have and, sometimes, how long they last. ItвЂ™s hard to know in advance how someone with epilepsy will respond to VNS therapy. The device continues the cycle until the neurologist re-programs it or until the battery runs out - usually in about six years.ДЄt that time another surgical procedure (which only involves the chest) can be done to replace the battery, usually with a local anesthetic. Doctors program the device to deliver pulses of electrical stimulation automatically, 24 hours a day.ДЄ typical вЂњdoseвЂќ is about 30 seconds on and five minutes off, but settings may vary. Others prefer to start the stimulation during the check up visit afterwards. Some doctors turn on the VNS device immediately after surgery. He or she then gently wraps the flexible ends of silicone-coated electrodes around the vagus nerve.

#Vagus nerve stimulator generator

The surgeon places the VNS pulse generator into a surgically-made вЂњpocketвЂќ under the skin of the patientвЂ™s chest and threads a plastic tube containing the electrodes from the neck to the generator in the chest. The surgeon makes two small incisions - one in the neck to gain access to the vagus nerve, and one below the collarbone in the chest wall or armpit. The operation can be done on an in-patient or out-patient basis. It is usually done under general anesthesia, though local anesthesia is sometimes used. Implanting the VNS battery in a patient and connecting it to the vagus nerve takes about an hour. As with surgery and the ketogenic diet, it will almost always be necessary toВ continueВ anti-epileptic medication although the patient should be able to take less medication than in the past. In some its effectiveness increases with time, and patients report an improved quality of life. Although complete seizure control is seldom achieved, the majority of people who use VNS therapy experience fewer seizures. There may be a change in voice quality during the actual stimulation. Side effects of VNS therapy are mostly hoarseness and, sometimes, discomfort in the throat.

It is also possible to turn the device off by holding the magnet over it. In some people, this has the effect of stopping the seizure. If the person with the system feels a seizure coming on, he or she can activate the discharge by passing a small magnet over the battery. The battery is programmed by the health team to send a few seconds of electrical energy to the vagus nerve every few minutes. Thin wires (electrodes) are threaded under the skin and wound around the vagus nerve in the neck. The energy is delivered by a flat, round battery, about the size of a silver dollar, which is surgically implanted in the chest wall. The therapy is designed to prevent seizures by sending regular small pulses of electrical energy to the brain via the vagus nerve, a large nerve in the neck. It is currently approved for use in adults and children over the age of 12 who have partial seizures that resist control by other methods. Vagus Nerve Stimulation therapyВ is another form of treatment that may be tried when medications fail to stop seizures.