Treatment for Epileptic Seizures: Vagus Nerve Stimulation Devices

By: Megan A.

It is recorded that sixty-five million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy, a neurological disorder that causes brief disturbances in the normal neurological processes of the brain. These disturbances, known as seizures, occur when clustering’s of nerve cells signal abnormally, causing out of control bursts of electrical energy within the brain.

In 1997, the first Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) procedure took place to prevent reoccurring epileptic seizures. VNS procedures decrease the frequency of seizures in epileptic patients, through the implantation of a device. This flat, round battery, about the size of a silver dollar, is placed on the chest wall under the skin and a wire is connected from it to the vagus nerve in the neck.

The vagus nerve is one of twelve cranial nerves, it goes from the head to the chest and is important for autonomic nervous functions, or involuntary functions. The main processes the vagus nerve regulates is heart rate. The VNS device works to detect increases in heart rate before seizures, and prevent the occurrence of a seizure through stimulation of the vagus nerve.

Technology has even gone so far as to create a magnet, that when waved in front of the device can trigger stimulation. This is helpful for the caretakers of those who suffer from epileptic seizures. When an episode occurs, the caretaker can wave the magnet near the device to stop the seizure.

The surgery to implant a VNS device can take an hour to an hour and a half. After the device is implanted, doctors start with a low frequency stimulation of the nerve and over time work up to a higher, more therapeutic, frequency. It is recorded that after about a year, over half of patients will experience a fifty-percent decrease in the frequency of seizures.

Epilepsy can be a life threatening disease, the seizures that are produced by it can be extremely harmful to the patient. The creation of VNS devices has been a very helpful method for those who found no other forms of treatment effective. Medical professionals continue to search for more adequate forms of decreasing seizures among epileptic patients. Being that a significant amount of the population suffers from this disease, a promising form of treatment is vital.

IMAGE: "Vagus Nerve Stimulation." KnowMental. 2013. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

"Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)." Epilepsy Foundation. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

"Disrupting Seizures That Disrupt Life (Video) - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic." Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic. 2013. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.