Medical device complications

Vagal nerve stimulator complication

  • Used to treat refractory epilepsy
  • Implanted in the chest with a single lead stimulating the left vagus nerve. It does not stimulate the right vagus nerve which innervates the heart

Complications:

  1. Hoarseness
  2. Shortness of Breath
  3. Pharyngitis
  4. Infection
  5. Parasthesias
  6. Insomnia
  7. Excessive Pain

Bladder/Sacral nerve stimulators complication

  • Single wire system inserted into the S3 sacral foramen to stimulate sacral nerve and treat urinary incontinence

Complications

  1. Infection (early or late complication)
  2. Lead Migration
  3. Stimulator misfiring

Deep brain stimulator complication

  • Implanted to treat Parkinson's disease and dystonia.
  • Single lead systems implanted into the thalamus

Complications

  1. Infection (usually early after placement)
  2. Over or Under stimulation
  3. Lead Migration

Gastric pacemaker complication

  • Inserted into the gastric musculature for gastroparesis management

Complications

  1. Perforation
  2. Infection
  3. Lead Migration

Phrenic nerve/diaphragmatic stimulators complication

  • Implanted into bilateral phrenic nerves to treat rerspiratory insufficiency from poor diaphragmatic motion

Complications

  1. Pneumothorax (early after implantation)
  2. Infection
  3. Wire Migration
  4. Drive malfunction (causing diaphragmatic paralysis)

See Also

References