Intrathecal drug therapy for long-term pain management

The use, safety, and efficacy of intrathecal medication administration with implantable pumps for cancer and chronic pain management are reviewed.

Implanted intrathecal drug-delivery systems (IDDSs) are used for long-term management of persistent, severe pain despite a multimodal approach with conventional pain treatment options. Currently, consensus papers published in the literature are used as guidelines for determining patient selection and medication administration, because there is a lack of supporting evidence from randomized, controlled, clinical trials. Pharmacists have a critical role in the safe use of intrathecal medication. Most of the medication concentrations and combinations administered through IDDSs are not commercially available and therefore must be compounded in a pharmacy. Medications commonly administered through IDDSs include opioids, local anesthetics, clonidine, baclofen, and ziconotide. It is important for pharmacists who prepare products for IDDSs to understand the pharmacology, adverse effects, and concentration limitations of each medication in order to prevent adverse events related to postoperative subarachnoid hemorrhage, infection, catheter-tip inflammatory masses, withdrawal, and overdose. Pharmacists play an important role in maintaining quality assurance of intrathecal drug use, including the use of standard procedures for ordering and compounding medications, documentation of patient education, and monitoring of patient outcomes.

The use of long-term intrathecal drug delivery for the treatment of intractable pain or intolerable medication adverse effects has expanded to include the treatment of patients with chronic or cancer-related pain. Important considerations for the use of intrathecal drug therapy include the appropriate selection of patients, delivery systems, and medications, as well as potential complications of therapy and quality-assurance measures necessary to ensure patient safety.