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We’ve implanted our first ‘brain pacemaker’ which aims to reduce seizures for people with drug resistant focal epilepsy (where seizures start in one specific area of the brain).

The EASEE (epicranial application of simulation electrodes for epilepsy) is a minimally invasive device placed just under the scalp, over the area of the brain where seizures start. It uses different types of electrical pulses to reduce seizures and stabilise brain activity.

It’s a relatively new treatment, ideal for patients like Suzanne Maylen, 60 – our first to receive it - where medication is no longer controlling their seizures. Suzanne is pictured above with our staff, programming her device.

Suzanne, of Rainham, has had epilepsy since she was just 18 months old. The frequency and severity of seizures have varied throughout her life, stopping during her pregnancy with her first daughter and worsening during her second pregnancy. She even had a period of 12 years seizure free.

Now she can have up to 20 seizures a month, including clusters of four in a day, and medication is no longer helping.

Suzanne (above), a grandmother-of-four, said:

At times it can really affect your life, you have no control over what you’re saying or doing. I’ve tried many different medications over the years, some have had severe side effects, you can lose a couple of hours a day recovering from them.

Having a long spell seizure free was fantastic, but they returned after I ended up in A&E on holiday in 2013 when I got sunstroke. No medication has helped since and I’d come to live with it.

Adele Larkin, lead epilepsy specialist nurse, said:

This device can be lifechanging for patients. Antiseizure medication can have severe side effects; some patients struggle to think clearly, feel exhausted and it can impact their bone health and liver function. While seizures can mean they can’t drive or care for children on their own. One patient ironed their arm during a seizure. It’s small things we take for granted they often struggle with, and that can make them feel frustrated and helpless.

The procedure itself is around an hour, a cut is made to place the device on the skull, and the battery is implanted under the collarbone, like a pacemaker. Wires under the skin connect the electrode on the skull to the battery.

The data we have for this so far is really positive so there is huge potential for patients like Suzanne to have a much better quality of life.

Brain surgery to remove the epileptogenic zone was an option for Suzanne, but it’s an invasive operation which involves lots of investigations beforehand. Having gone so far in her life without it, she wasn’t keen.

Suzanne had the procedure to fit the EASSE device at Queen’s Hospital in April (pictured above is her surgical team). It’s a very personalised treatment which can be adjusted to send the right amount of electrical pulses for each individual and means it can take time to see a difference.

She added:

It’s a bit like a pacemaker, but for my brain. I’m happy I’ve had the chance to have it.

It’s still very early days and I haven’t seen a big difference so far, but it can take up to two years. It’s good that I can’t feel anything when it’s working. I also have a handheld device I can press to send additional stimulation to my brain if I feel a seizure coming on.

As well as reducing the frequency of seizures, the device can also lessen their severity. In some of Suzanne’s most severe seizures she’s crossed a road with no memory of it and almost drank boiling gravy.

She will continue to see Adele and consultant neurologist Aidan Neligan to check the device and make any adjustments to the electrical settings over the coming months.