"Pacemaker" Offers New Hope for Patients with Bladder Control Problems
|
September 2005
|
TRACY, CA – A small pacemaker-like device is changing the lives of patients plagued by bladder control problems. The Medronic InterStim® Therapy device consists of a programmable battery pack (neurostimulator) that sends electrical impulses via a lead (thin wire) to the sacral nerves controlling the bladder. The neurostimulator can be adjusted to optimize therapy for each patient.
Urologist Salman Razi, M.D., implanted the device in Tracy resident Sandra Andreski last May.
Before having the procedure, Andreski had to urinate every 10 or 15 minutes during the day and got up four or five times a night to use the bathroom. Now she can wait two hours and only gets up once a night, if at all.
"Patients like Sandra who have not responded to overactive active bladder medications, such as Detrol and Ditropan, or other treatments are experiencing great success with this device," says Dr. Razi, the only physician in the Tracy area performing the procedure. "The InterStim is quickly becoming the standard of care for many patients with overactive bladders."
Performed in two parts, the entire procedure is done on an outpatient basis at Sutter Tracy Community Hospital. During part one, patients are under a mild anesthetic while Dr. Razi locates the nerve roots that control the bladder. He then implants the stimulation lead as close to the nerve area as possible. The lead connects to an external neurostimulator that patients wear for a two week trial period.
Patients who experience good results undergo part two of the procedure. In less than 30 minutes, Dr. Razi connects the lead to a permanent neurostimulator and implants the entire device under the skin in the upper buttocks. The neurostimulator’s battery typically lasts seven to ten years.
Although the InterStim technology is nearly 10 years old, it wasn't until recently that the technique for implanting the device became fairly simple.
"Ten years ago, we had to make a big incision and spend a significant amount of time trying to locate the right nerves. It was a painful procedure and recovery took much longer. Often times the lead would not stay in place," says Dr. Razi. "With the high tech equipment available today, locating the nerves is much easier, and the lead is much more secure. The incision for the battery is quite small and just over the skin. Patients go home the same day, and best of all, most are up and about and start experiencing positive results the next day. The procedure is also easily reversible if the device needs to be removed for some reason."
|
|
|
Andreski credits Dr. Razi and the InterStim device for giving her her life back.
"My life has changed completely. I hardly left the house for the past five years," says Andreski. "Now I can live a normal life and do ordinary things, like shopping and driving, that most people take for granted. I'm in control of my bladder now, instead of the other way around. It feels great."
Dr. Razi is a full time urologist in Tracy, CA and can be reached at 209-833-3449 or at www.drrazi.com.
Up to 20 million Americans suffer from bladder control problems. About 85 percent are women between ages 30 and 59, some of the most productive years of their life. Tens of thousands of these patients do not respond adequately to standard treatments such as medication, biofeedback and pelvic floor exercises. Before the InterStim device came along, such patients had few other options than to live with the problem or undergo complicated, irreversible bladder surgery.
Sutter Tracy Community Hospital is a full-service, acute care hospital that offers a wide array of inpatient and outpatient services. Founded in 1948 by a group of community residents and business members, the Hospital became an affiliate of Sutter Health in 1993. Sutter Health is a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance healthcare quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, and newborn intensive care, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. Visit us on the web at www.suttertracy.org.
|
|
|
|
