Device drives career

Cary Christie, RN, MSN, saw epilepsy diminish his patients’ quality of life as the director of a facility for adults with developmental disabilities.

“Medication alone wasn’t going to give them the quality of life that they deserved,” Christie said.

In 1998, Christie witnessed a breakthrough in epilepsy treatment when one of his patients had a Vagus Nerve Stimulation device implanted.

The device, commonly referred to as VNS, works much like a pacemaker. A surgeon implants the VNS generator under the patient’s skin in his or her upper chest. Two wires within the system are attached to the left vagus nerve in the neck. The generator sends signals to the nerve through these wires to ward off seizures. Physicians adjust the generator to the appropriate treatment level.

Christie said he noticed a dramatic difference in his patient who received the VNS therapy. Christie said he set out to work for Cyberonics, the company that makes the VNS therapy devices.

Christie joined the Cyberonics team seven years ago.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the fruits of my labor. I’ve been here for seven years because I believe in what I’m doing,” Christie said. “I feel like I help people increase their quality of life, which is why I went into nursing in the first place.”

As a senior VNS therapeutic consultant, Christie meets with physicians in the Kansas City area who might prescribe the devise. Christie also consults surgeons and scrubs in on VNS implants if surgeons request his assistants.

“Most physicians are very receptive to it being a good therapy,” Christie said. “It’s actually cheaper than most medications over time.”

The cost of VNS therapy varies among facilities, but Christie said the process costs about $12,000. Most insurance companies pay the majority of the bill, Christie said.

Menorah Medical Center Neurologist Jess Collins, MD, uses the device on his treatment-resistant seizure patients.

“It’s a great therapy that is underutilized,” Collins said. “We’ve had a lot of good results with it.”

Collins said he has patients whose seizures prevented them from full-time employment and many aspects of daily living.

“If you have a seizure once every six months you can’t drive,” Collins said.

Patients who receive VNS therapy are given a magnet to wave in front of the VNS generator at the onset of, or during, seizures. The magnet helps stop the seizure.

“Some people can stop a seizure in its track,” Collins said.

Christie said he wishes more physicians would prescribe the VNS.

“It’s probably horribly underutilized,” he said. “Not all physicians want to provide it in their practice and do the dosing.”

The Food and Drug Administration also approved VNS therapy for treatment resistant depression but most insurance companies will not pay for the process for depression.

Christie said he has seen patients with depression benefit from VNS therapy.

“It worked very well,” Christie said. “I saw people getting part-time jobs who hadn’t got one in years.”

Cyberonics plans to continue research and development on depression treatment and other utilizations for VNS therapy, Christie said.

Christie’s nursing career took a different path as a medical equipment consultant but he said he would not have it any other way.

“I don’t see any reason that I’d want to do anything else,” he said.