Hi,

I just joined your group as recommended by Bob Dawson.

I had DBS and had a Kinetra battery implanted in May 2005. I had the battery replaced in July 2008 with a Kinetra, and in May 2011, the battery was replaced with an Activa PC. In the fall of 2012, I started noticing that part of the battery had started to protrude through the skin. I had surgery in December 2012 to reposition the battery and the neursurgeon tilted the battery but didn't replace it. I had an appointment with my neurologist a couple of days ago in March 2013 as I felt that part of the battery was again starting to protrude through the skin. She agreed and said that it often happens in patients who have a slender build and who don't have much fat around the battery placement area. I asked if Medtronic was working on a smaller battery and/or one without sharp edges, and she indicated that they were not. The only thing she could suggest for keeping the battery in place was taping the battery with paper tape. One would think that a high-tech surgery like DBS would also have high-tech solutions to its problems.

Thanks,
Kate