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ANALGESIA

Neuromodulation in Patients Deployed to War Zones

Anthony Dragovich, MD^*, Thomas Weber, DO^*, Daniel Wenzell, MD, Michael H. Verdolin, MD, and Steven P. Cohen, MD^||

From the *Department of Surgery, Womack Army Medical Center Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; Department of Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington; Department of Anesthesiology, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California; Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; and ||Department of Surgery, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Anthony Dragovich, MD, 25 Bay Point, Sanford, NC 27332. Address e-mail to dragov3{at}mac.com.

Abstract

Four active duty military personnel and two retired soldiers/military contractors were treated with spinal or peripheral nerve stimulators. All six personnel were able to deploy after the stimulators were placed. Five patients had no incidents during their deployments. One patient completed four deployments but had mechanical complications that necessitated eventual revisions.

Considering the risks and limitations of reoperation, nerve blocks, and pharmacotherapy in a forward-deployed area, spinal cord stimulation provides an appealing alternative in soldiers who desire to remain deployable on active duty.