Durability of symptomatic responses obtained with adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation in treatment-resistant depression

Arun Kumar,1 Mark T Bunker,1 Scott T Aaronson,2 Charles R Conway,3 Anthony J Rothschild,4,5 Giacomo Mordenti,6 Augustus J Rush7,8 1LivaNova USA PLC, Houston, TX, USA; 2Department of Clinical Research, Sheppard Pratt Health System, Baltimore, MD, USA; 3Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA; 4Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA; 5Department of Psychiatry, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA, USA; 6LivaNova PLC, London, UK; 7Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 8Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA Objective: To compare the durations of response achieved with adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS + TAU) vs treatment as usual (TAU) alone in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) over a 5-year period in the TRD registry. Materials and methods: Data from 271 participants on TAU and 328 participants on VNS + TAU were analyzed. Response was defined as ≥50% decrease in baseline Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score at postbaseline visit and was considered retained until the decrease was