- Pakistan begins utilizing mind pacemaker units for epileptic sufferers
- First two surgical procedures carried out in Lahore hospital
- The sufferers had been from Peshawar and Sindh
LAHORE: A pacemaker for the mind to deal with epilepsy has been implanted within the chest partitions of two ladies for the primary time in Pakistan.
The sufferers had been from Peshawar and Sindh.
Dr Asif Bashir, a Spanish specialist at a personal hospital in Lahore, began this therapy in Pakistan and carried out the surgical procedures on each ladies.
He says these operations have been happening in america for the final 20 years. The federal government ought to take away the responsibility on surgical devices in order that the price of the operation within the nation may be lowered, Dr Bashir mentioned.
What’s a mind pacemaker?
A mind pacemaker or a Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) prevents seizures by sending common, gentle pulses {of electrical} power to the mind through the vagus nerve.
A stimulator which can be referred to as a pacemaker for the mind is implanted underneath the pores and skin within the chest of the affected person, whereas a wire from the machine is wound across the vagus nerve within the neck.
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With this therapy, the ratio of seizures in sufferers reduces to 50% or they cease fully, the Spanish specialist mentioned.
VNS is a sort of neuromodulation. It’s designed to vary how mind cells work by giving electrical stimulation to sure areas concerned in seizures.
A VNS surgical procedure prices round Rs2.5 million in Pakistan, based on Dr Bashir. He says it’s the least expensive on the planet.