Rechargeable and Nonrechargeable Implantable Pulse Generators for Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease: Long‐Term Experience

Objectives: The study’s objective is to assess long‐term experience with rechargeable (r‐IPG) and nonrechargeable implant pulse generators (nr‐IPGs) for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Material and Methods: Qualitative semistructured interviews, clinical outcomes, and care load estimations were retrospectively collected for a PD‐DBS population implanted at our center from 2006 to 2022. Results: Thirty‐seven nr‐IPG patients (follow‐up 85.3 ± 32.0 months) and 43 r‐IPG patients (follow‐up 73.1 ± 7.7 months) were analyzed. Long‐term satisfaction was sustained in both groups (100% of r‐IPG carriers and 75.7% of nr‐IPGs, p = 0.001). In r‐IPGs, 97.7% recharged the battery easily, and recharging time did not impact everyday life. The percentage of malfunctioning problems (32.6%) in the r‐IPG group was in line with previous observations on short‐term follow‐ups. The size of the IPG was considered too big for 16.2% and 4.2% for nr‐IPGs and r‐IPGs ( p = 0.086), and concerns of interventions for IPG replacements were still present in the nr‐IPG group (48.6%). The total amount of days of hospitalization (19.6 ± 9.9 vs. 9.3 ± 4.8, p < 0.001) and the number of complications after the first implant (13 vs. 5, p < 0.05) and during subsequent admissions for IPG substitutions (4 vs. 0, p < 0.05) were higher for the nr‐IPGs. Conclusions: The overall level of long‐term satisfaction with IPGs is consistent over time regardless of type. R‐IPGs reported no discomfort with recharging even in the long‐term evaluation. IPG replacement surgeries and sizes are still a concern, especially for the nr‐IPG carriers, but did not affect a high level of sustained satisfaction. Resource burden remains higher for nr‐IPGs even in the long term.