BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is an increasingly prevalent treatment modality for acute and chronic pain. One well-known adverse event is lead fracture, particularly for temporary PNS.

CASE REPORT: We present a case of a 73-year-old man with multiple myeloma whose temporary PNS implant for low back pain was complicated by lead fracture during routine removal. The retained fractured PNS lead led to progressively worsening swelling and patient discomfort requiring surgical explant, with indolent culture-confirmed Staphylococcus aureus infection.

CONCLUSIONS: Temporary PNS lead fracture is an acknowledged risk with relatively frequent occurrence. Expectant management is most often employed for this complication. However, we present a case where gradually increasing swelling and discomfort, and subsequently diagnosed infection, required surgical explant.

KEYWORDS: Peripheral nerve stimulator, back pain, hardware infection, interventional pain, neuromodulation