How often does a patient need to come in to the clinic to have a neurostimulation system reprogrammed?
Therapy maintenance varies widely from patient to patient. It is important to see the patient the day following surgery because this is the most common time when changes must be made. A week to 10 days following surgery (usually at the time of suture removal), it is important to see the patient again and reprogramme the device if necessary. During the first 2 or 3 months after implantation, fine-tuning of the system may be required as tissues heal around the stimulation lead and the patient’s understanding of the nature of the stimulation matures (i.e., what it can and cannot do, how it feels). A typical programming strategy might include re-programming 2 or 3 weeks after implantation, at 6 weeks, and at 12 weeks after implantation. After 12 weeks, the patient should come into the clinic on a periodic basis. While reprogramming may not be needed, the battery (implantable neurostimulator) should be checked.
