Abstracts

RATIONALE:The Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration Advisory Panel on July 16, 1997 for the treatment of medically refractory partial-onset seizures in patients over 12 years of age. Since then other benefits have been reported. We decided to assess quality sleep parameters through use of a questionnaire to determine quality of sleep before and after VNS implantation. METHODS:An assessment tool consisting of 14 questions was given to 15 patients with the VNS. Status post implantation dates varied from 1 month to 16 months at the time of completion of the questionnaire. VNS surveys were completed post-implantation. The questionnaire was completed by phone or in person at clinic visit. Questions addressed areas including: hours of sleep per night; bedtime routines; quality of sleep; alertness and energy upon rising. RESULTS:Patient ages ranged from 7 years to 43 years, 6 were children and 9 were adults. Of these patients 9 were female and 6 were male. A majority of respondents reported improvement in: hours slept per night, frequent awakening during the night, depth of sleep, energy and alertness upon rising and swiftness of sleep upon retiring. The majority is equal to the number of respondents perceiving improvement>the total number of respondents reporting no change and those reporting worsening of symptoms. It was noted that the quality of sleep improved over the time after implantation and that changes in quality were independent of medicaton changes.In this small series, the number of patients does not allow for gender differentiation though, improvement was more noticeable amongst males. CONCLUSIONS:People with epilepsy who have the VNS generally report improved sleep quality. However, this was a small pilot study and a larger study using this questionnaire prior to implantation and at 6 month intervals post implantation is needed in order to qualify these claims.