Daily Living – Enterra Neurostimulator

To help make living with your Enterra^® neurostimulator a positive experience, please review this section for important information about daily activities, exposure to electromagnetic interference, medical procedures, and other precautions to remember after the implant.

Exercise

Based on advice from your doctor and how you are feeling, you may gradually be able to resume your normal, pre-implant activities, which may include:

Driving a car
Fishing, hunting
Road biking, swimming, gardening
Sexual activity
Traveling
Walking, hiking, running, jogging
Working

Household, Office, and Shop Equipment

Your neurostimulator has built-in features to protect it from electromagnetic interference that could interfere with or disrupt your stimulation.

Make sure all equipment is in good working order and properly grounded. If you suspect that equipment is interfering with your neurostimulator function, do the following:

Move away from the equipment or object
If possible, turn off the equipment or object
Inform the equipment owner or operator of the occurrence

If the above actions do not resolve the effects of the electromagnetic interference, or you suspect that your stimulation is not effective after exposure to the interference, contact your doctor.

Generally Safe

Computer disk drives. If repairing or adding additional components to a computer, keep your neurostimulator away from the disk drives.

Freezer, refrigerator, or storm door magnets that hold the door closed. Do not lean against the magnetic strip of the door.

Induction range/stove. Keep your neurostimulator away from the burners while the burners are turned on.

Power tools, radios, and telephones. Keep power tool motors away from your neurostimulator and leads. If you lift or carry stereo speakers or radios for your home or car, make sure they aren't close to or touching the part of your body where the neurostimulator is located. Radio frequency sources, analog and digital cellular phones, AM/FM radios, cordless phones, and conventional wired telephones should be kept at least 4 inches away from your implanted neurostimulator.

Sewing machines or salon hair dryers. Keep the neurostimulator away from the motors.

Precautions Are Necessary

Take extra precautions near or completely avoid the following equipment or environments:

Antenna of citizen band (CB) radios or ham radios
Electric arc welding equipment
Electric induction heaters used in industry
Electric steel furnaces
High-power amateur transmitters
Linear power amplifiers
Magnetic degaussers
Magnets or other equipment that generate strong magnetic fields
Perfusion systems
Resistance welders
Therapeutic magnets (keep at least 10 inches between the magnet and the neurostimulator)
Stay outside the fenced area around:
- High-voltage towers
- Microwave communication transmitters
- Television and radio transmitting towers

Activities Requiring Excessive Twisting or Stretching. Avoid activities that may put undue stress on the implanted components of the system. Activities that include sudden, excessive, or repetitive bending, twisting, bouncing, or stretching can cause component fracture or dislodgment resulting in no stimulation, intermittent stimulation, stimulation at the fracture site, and additional surgery to replace or reposition a component.

Component Manipulation by Patient. Avoid manipulating or rubbing the neurostimulator system components (the neurostimulator or the leads), which can cause component damage, skin erosion, or stimulation at the implant site.

Scuba Diving or Hyperbaric Chambers. Do not dive below 33 feet of water or enter hyperbaric chambers above 2.0 atmospheres absolute (ATA) or 29.4 pounds per square inch absolute (psia). Pressures below 33 feet of water (or above 2.0 ATA) could damage the neurostimulation system. Before diving or using a hyperbaric chamber, discuss the effects of high pressure with your doctor.

Security Screening Devices and Theft Detectors

When approaching security screening devices and theft detectors in airports, stores, libraries, and other public buildings, request to bypass these devices if at all possible. They may interfere with your neurostimulator function or detect its metal case.

Always carry your Medtronic device registration card with you and present it to security staff to obtain clearance. If they use a handheld security wand, ask them to move the wand over the neurostimulator as quickly as possible. Point out the location of your neurostimulator so that testing can be performed quickly.

If you must pass through the security screening device or theft detector, follow these precautions:

If two security gates are present, simply walk through the center of the gate, keeping as far away as possible from each side
If one gate is present, walk as far away as possible from it
Do not linger near or lean on a theft detector or security screening device

Medical and Hospital Environment

Consult with your doctor before undergoing any medical, surgical, or dental procedure. Remember to tell all of your health care providers that you have an implanted medical device and show them your device registration card.

Not Safe

The following medical procedures can damage the device, interfere with device operation or cause harm to you:

Patients with an implanted neurostimulator and/or lead CANNOT have diathermy of any kind.
Patients with an implanted device should not be exposed to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Please refer to the Patient Manual provided with your Enterra^® neurostimulator, or talk to your doctor for more information. You may also call Medtronic Patient Services at (800) 510-6735 for more information.

Generally Safe

The following medical procedures are not likely to affect your neurostimulation system:

Computerized axial tomography (CT or CAT) scans
Diagnostic x-rays and fluoroscopy
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans

X-ray equipment should be adjusted to limit the amount of pressure exerted on the neurostimulator during procedures that require tight enclosures.

Precautions Are Necessary

Ask your doctor what precautions are needed if you are undergoing the following procedures:

Bone growth stimulators
Dental drills and ultrasonic probes
Electrolysis
Laser procedures
Radiation therapy
Transcutaneous external neurostimulation (TENS)

Special Precautions

The following medical procedures can damage the device, interfere with device operation, or cause harm to you. Your doctor should be aware of special precautions needed during:

Defibrillation/cardioversion
Electrocautery
High-output ultrasonics/lithotripsy

EMI safety for neurostimulation systems has not been established for:

Psychotherapeutic procedures (for example, electroshock therapy)
Radio frequency/microwave ablation

Next: Product Support

Humanitarian Device: The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.

Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.

Last updated: 3 Aug 2008