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Vagas Nerve Stimulation
Sun, 03/26/2006 - 12:44Has anyone had or know of bad side effects from the vagas nerve stimulation devices?
Comments
Re: Re: Vagas Nerve Stimulation
Submitted by birdbomb on Mon, 2006-04-10 - 09:57
Please understand, VNS Therapy has been FDA approved for use as an adjunctive therapy in reducing the frequency of seizures in adults and adolescents over 12 years of age with partial onset seizures that are refractory to antiepileptic medications. There is no guarentee it will work, or how long it will work for.
It is permanent! The generator and leads can be safely removed, but NOT the electrodes that wrap around the Vagus nerve. I know of only one doctor in Texas who even attemps to remove them and that is on pediatrics only.
You CANNOT have an MRI. The FDA and Cyberonics have very specific guidelines for recieving an MRI but many places will refuse to do an MRI is there is a generator still in the body. You should NOT wear any kind of bone stimulator. You should avoid electromagnetic fields and that INCLUDES metal detectors. They can cause malfunctions of the unit. It is not recommended for those with sleep apnea or asthma, because it makes those conditions worse.
If this implanted in a child younger than 12 and the child experiances adverse effects or has become damaged, Cyberonics will claim USER ERROR! Be sure, VERY sure you are willing to put your child at these risks.
At the present time, I have been made aware of several children who have had their pitutary gland damaged from the VNS. This gland controls growth and these kids are living at both ends of the extreme, from zero developement to unbelievable growth. This may be a rare phenomenon, or may just be coming to light.
Children do however, on a whole, respond better to the VNS than adults.
Find out all the information you can and go with your intsincts. Do not allow yourself to be pressured by marketing fluff or sales reps.
Read the Patient and Physician Manuals. They are downloadable and available at http://www.vnstherapy.com/epilepsy/hcp/manuals/default.aspx
I also recommend http://www.vnsmessageboard.com
This board is devoted only to VNS patients with over 500 members.
Re: Vagas Nerve Stimulation
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2006-03-27 - 09:16
Here is a link to VNS info on epilepsy.com - www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/vns.html Side effects can occur from the surgical procedures suc as infection, vocal cord not working right (hoarseness). These are not frequent but talk to neurologist and surgeon who you are working with for details and a complete discussion of possible problems. Since VNS is put in under general anesthesia, risks of anethesia would be part of this. More common side effects that may occur with the stimulation are temporary hoarseness, cough, throat discomfort, feeling of breathlessness for example. Many times the stimulation settings can be adjusted to lessen these side effects or prevent them from occurring. Best wishes, Epilepsy.com Resource Specialist