Success for VNS

Psychiatrists at

are the first in Chicago to use a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), an implantable, pacemaker-like device, as a therapy to treat long-term, treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in adults. Dr. John Zajecka led the VNS therapy clinical trial at Rush.

The procedure to place the device, which is usually performed under general anaesthesia on an outpatient basis, takes about an hour. Two small incisions are required: one on the upper chest area for the pulse generator and one on the left neck for the thin, flexible wires that connect the pulse generator to the vagus nerve. The incisions heal in one to two weeks, and the scars fade over time.

"The pulse generator, which is like a pacemaker, is implanted in the chest area and sends mild pulses to the brain via the vagus nerve in the neck. A thin, thread-like wire attached to the generator, runs under the skin to the left vagus nerve. The vagus nerve, one of the 12 cranial nerves, serves as the body's 'information highway' connecting the brain to many major organs," said Zajecka.