Back to Authors

Forde, Inga C

Mayo Clinic

Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. forde.inga@mayo.edu.

Citations 1

A Potential Novel Mechanism for Vagus Nerve Stimulator-Related Central Sleep Apnea
Forde, Inga, Kotagal, Suresh , Forde, Inga C, Kolla, Bhanu Prakash , Mansukhani, Meghna P.

Children | September 29, 2017 | Volume: 4 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 86

10.3390/children4100086 Get It

The treatment of epilepsy with vagus nerve stimulation can inadvertently cause obstructive and central sleep apnea (CSA). The mechanism for CSA seen in patients with a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) is not fully known. We describe the case of a 13-year-old girl in whom VNS activation induced tachypnea and post-hyperventilation central apnea. Following adjustment of VNS settings, the post-hyperventilation CSA resolved. Polysomnography may assist with management when patients with epilepsy develop sleep disruption after VNS placement.