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Having a spinal cord stimulator taken out, which surgeons call an explant, is a medical decision. If the device hurt you and a lawsuit is possible, a few steps before the surgery protect the claim. This article covers what to ask for, what to keep, and how removal affects a case.
Your Health Comes First: Do not turn off, stop charging or seek removal of your stimulator because of a lawsuit or a recall notice. Those are medical decisions to make with your doctor. If you have sudden weakness or numbness, loss of bowel or bladder control, fever, or signs of infection at the implant site, get medical care right away.
Has Your Spinal Cord Stimulator Caused Problems?
You may have a claim if all three are true:
- You received a permanent stimulator made by Boston Scientific, Abbott (or St. Jude Medical), Nevro or Medtronic.
- After the implant you had a serious complication: shocks or burns, a lead that moved or broke, loss of therapy, an infection, or new nerve, bowel or bladder problems.
- You needed medical treatment because of it, such as revision, replacement or removal surgery.
Call 866-837-1010 or send us a message. The review is free. Do not have a device removed for the sake of a claim.
Removal Is a Medical Decision
Do not schedule a removal for the sake of a lawsuit, and do not turn the device off for good or change its settings on your own. Those calls belong to you and your doctor. You also do not need to have had the stimulator removed to have a claim reviewed. Repeated reprogramming, a hospital stay, or a doctor’s instruction to turn the device off can be enough to look at.
Ask in Writing That the Device Be Kept
If the stimulator is coming out, tell the surgeon and the hospital in writing, before the operation, that you want the generator and the leads preserved and not returned to the manufacturer. The device is the most important piece of evidence in the case. Once it is gone, nobody can test it.
What to Gather Before and After Surgery
- Your implant card, the remote, the charger and any paperwork that came with the device.
- Your messages with the company representative: texts, emails, voicemails, and the dates of every reprogramming session.
- Imaging and operative records from the implant, any revision and the removal.
- A written timeline: the implant date, when each problem started, who you told and what they said.
Does Removal Make a Claim Stronger?
The strongest claims involve revision, replacement or removal surgery, or a permanent injury, because they show the problem was serious enough to operate on. That is a description of the cases, not a reason to have surgery. A claim is reviewed on what already happened to you.
If Your Leads Were Recalled
Boston Scientific’s 2026 recall of Infinion CX leads removed leads that had not yet been implanted. It does not call for removing leads already in patients, and the FDA has recommended no monitoring beyond routine follow-up. If your stimulation has changed, the recall is a reason to ask your doctor to check the lead. Our Infinion CX recall post explains it.
The Deadline Can Start Before the Surgery
State law sets the deadline: generally one year in Tennessee, two in Alabama and Georgia, and three in North Carolina. In Tennessee the deadline can pass within a year of the first sign of trouble, which may be long before a removal. Do not wait for the surgery, a recall or a settlement to have the dates checked. Our spinal cord stimulator lawsuit page links to each state’s rules, and our post on side effects and complications lists the injuries in the cases.
Talk With a Spinal Cord Stimulator Lawyer
Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers review these claims at no charge. Call 866-837-1010 or send us a message. There is no fee unless we recover for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I have my spinal cord stimulator removed?
That is a medical decision for you and your doctor. Do not have a device removed, turned off or reprogrammed for the sake of a lawsuit.
What happens to the stimulator after it is removed?
Unless you ask otherwise, it may be discarded or sent back to the manufacturer. Tell the surgeon and the hospital in writing before the operation that you want the generator and leads preserved.
Can I file a claim if my stimulator has already been removed?
Possibly. Removal surgery is one of the facts that makes a claim worth reviewing. What matters next is the device, the records and whether your state deadline has run.
Fob James, IV
Fob James obtained a B.S., in software engineering from Auburn University and then continued his education by getting his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. After working for a large national firm for several years, Fob found that his passion was fighting for individuals who have been seriously injured or wronged by others. Fob believes that the jury is the great equalizer to the power and influence that large corporations have in society. Many of Fob’s cases are high profile and have been featured in, among others: Bloomberg News, PlanAdvisor, AL.com, PlanSponsor, National Law Review, and BusinessInsider. For his work in obtaining numerous multi-million dollar outcomes for his clients, Fob has been recognized by: National Trial Lawyers Top 100, SuperLawyers Rising Star (2020-2026), Birmingham Business Journal Who’s Who in Law (2023-2025), and TrustAnalytica – Top Personal Injury Lawyers in Alabama.