Step-By-Step VNS Guide

VNS Connection Instructions

You should be in a relaxed position to start; don’t do VNS if you’re tired or irritable. Connect the VNS neck electrode to the signal wires of a suitable TENS signal generator. (TENS units typically have 2 channels, but you need only one for VNS.)

Program the TENS unit settings for VNS (use these typical settings, or as directed):

  • Normal mode (continuous signal with fixed frequency & amplitude).
  • Pulse width: 200 µs (microseconds).
  • Pulse frequency: 10-30 Hz. (Some studies suggest changing the frequency within this range once a week.)
  • Duration: Start at 1 or 2 minutes twice daily, up to 10 minutes twice daily. (More-sensitive people may need to start slower and work up gradually as tolerated.)
  • Plug the TENS unit lead-wire connectors into the Bradford electrode connectors.

Electrode position: Find your neck pulse, using 2 fingertips on the front of the neck, just to the left of your trachea (windpipe). This pulse is the place to hold the electrode on the vagus nerve, in a vertical position next to the trachea. (Don’t use the right side of the neck.)

  • Intensity: To start a session, gradually turn the intensity up until you barely feel muscle twitching, and leave it just below that threshold intensity. (Vagus nerve cells are more easily triggered than muscle cells.)

Important precaution: When disconnecting the wires, hold both connectors; don’t pull on the wires. (Pulling apart by the wires can damage the electrode’s internal connections.)
Avoid water-contact on the electrode and the TENS unit.
Contraindications for VNS include implanted pacemakers or defibrillators, bradycardia (excessively slow heart rate), and congestive heart failure.

The senior adult man looks at the brochure in his hands as the mid adult female doctor explains the options detailed there.