Anaesthesia and deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulators (DBS) are increasingly used to treat chronic conditions, most com-monly movement disorders but also pain and psychiatric disturbances. Given the chronic nature of these conditions, while relatively few anaesthetists will have direct experience of the implantation procedures, many more may encounter patients with implanted devices. Importantly, the presence of the DBS devices may have further implications for the investi-gation and management of these patients, including the use of MRI and the use of dia-thermy in surgical procedures. This article reviews the background and implications of DBS implants with this in mind