What is a bladder pacemaker?

  Sacral nerve electrical stimulation (commonly known as a bladder pacemaker) uses an implantable bladder pacemaker and electrodes. The electrodes are placed close to the sacral nerve to control the storage and release of urine. The bladder pacemaker is placed in a subcutaneous pouch in the buttocks. By stimulating the sacral nerve, it regulates the neural reflexes of the bladder, sphincter and pelvic floor associated with urination, bringing abnormal neural reflexes back into balance and thus safely and effectively controlling the symptoms of voiding dysfunction.  The sacral nerve stimulation system consists of three components: electrodes implanted in the patient’s S3 nerve foramen, a bladder pacemaker that delivers electrical pulses implanted subcutaneously in the buttocks, and an extension lead that connects the two.  The sacral nerve stimulation system implantation is a minimally invasive procedure. The electrodes are placed in the sacral 3 nerve foramen by puncture under the guidance of imaging equipment, then a temporary stimulator is connected to the external body to observe the patient’s pelvic floor muscles and bunion motor response, and the electrode position is adjusted to achieve optimal stimulation based on the test. The patient remains awake during this procedure to cooperate with the test.  After a successful test, the patient returns to the ward with the temporary stimulator and undergoes an experiential treatment period in which improvement in dyspareunia is observed by keeping a voiding diary. If the symptoms improve well and the patient is more satisfied with the treatment, the entire stimulation system (extension lead and bladder pacemaker) is implanted. Postoperatively, the doctor and specialized technicians will set up and adjust the sacral nerve electrical stimulation system non-invasively using an extracorporeal programmer, and the patient can also adjust it within the range set by the doctor using the configured patient programmer, which is very easy and flexible to operate.