Your doctor may recommend a pain pump if you meet some of these criteria: You've failed conservative therapies like oral pain medication, physical therapy, and pain-relief injections such as nerve blocks and epidurals. You are dependent on pain medication and are starting to have strong side effects or addiction.
Place pump outside the tub or shower in a safe place, such as on a chair or a towel on the floor; the tubing is long enough. When you are finished your bath or shower, remove the pump from the plastic bag and replace it into the pouch. Do not stop your infusion or disconnect the pump in any way while you bathe.
Who is a candidate?
- Conservative therapies have failed.
- You would not benefit from additional surgery.
- You are dependent on pain medication.
- You do not have psychological problems.
- You have no medical conditions that would keep you from undergoing implantation.
- You are not allergic to any of the drugs used in the pump.
Although legal actions against driving under the influence of morphine can only be taken after a positive urine and a subsequent positive blood sample, drivers on intrathecal opiates must be aware of the possibility of a positive roadside drug test.
Grasp the tube with 2 fingers of one hand close to the incision and pull the tube out while you cough. You do not have to cough, but coughing can help. After you pull some of the tubing out, you can reposition your hand back close to the incision site and do it again until tube is completely removed.
Advantages of Pain BallSumma Health is the only healthcare system in the region using the pain ball, a small disposable pump filled with a local anesthetic medication to relieve your pain after surgery. It continuously delivers the medication, which blocks the pain in the area of your procedure.
The pump is a round device. It's about 1 inch thick and 3 inches wide, which is about the size of a hockey puck. The pump will look like a bulge under the skin of your abdomen (see Figure 1).
Placing the PumpThe procedure is most commonly done under general anesthesia, but there are alternatives if needed. The surgeon will place the pump under the skin of your abdomen. One end of the catheter is then inserted into the fluid around the spinal cord, tunneled under the skin, and connected to the pump.
The median cost per day of pumps explanted for end of battery life was $9.26, versus $44.59 for pumps explanted prematurely due to complications.
The patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump is a computerized machine that gives you medicine for pain when you press a button. In most cases, PCA pumps supply opioid pain-controlling medicines such as morphine, fentanyl and hydromorphone.
A stimulator sends electrical signals to disrupt the transmission of pain signals to the brain, while a pain pump is delivering actual medication to the painful area. Both systems of pain relief can be effective for different conditions and injuries.
THE IMPLANT PROCEDUREThis procedure is most often performed in a hospital or outpatient surgery center. The SynchroMed™ II pump is available in two sizes — 20 ml and 40 ml — to meet your size preference and refill schedule. Your physician will decide which size is right for you.
How often will the pump need to be refilled? The medication in your pump needs to be refilled every 6 weeks to 6 months. The frequency of refills depends on the drug concentration and the amount of pain medication you receive every day. A higher dosage requires more frequent filling.
The Medtronic SynchroMedâ„¢ II pump is designed to be safe under certain conditions for patients who may require an MRI scan. The pump is also compatible with many other diagnostic tests.
