Overview

• A Medical Journal of Australia study found 23 percent of patients fitted with spinal cord stimulators require revision surgery for complications within three years.
• Private health insurer data reveal median treatment costs of A$56,000 per patient, with some total expenses exceeding A$500,000.
• An analysis of 520 adverse events reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration rated 79 percent as severe, 13 percent as life-threatening and 80 percent as requiring corrective surgery.
• Private Healthcare Australia has called on the government to reassess or remove Medicare listings for spinal cord stimulators amid doubts over their safety and effectiveness.
• Manufacturers and the Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand defend the devices as safe and effective even as legal firms probe class actions and researchers demand stricter trials or a ban.