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Published on: April 11, 2018
[Pain therapy with implanted medication pumps for chronic pain.]
1Zentrum für Schmerzbehandlung, Krankenanstalten Konstanz, Luisenstraße 7, W-7750, Konstanz, BRD.
Schmerz (Berlin, Germany)
|March 1, 1991
Summary
Implanted pumps delivering epidural or intrathecal opiate analgesia with bupivacaine offer effective chronic pain management for cancer and non-cancer patients. This method showed no increase in opiate dosage or addiction issues over long-term use.
Area of Science:
- Pain Management
- Neurosurgery
- Pharmacology
Context:
- Chronic pain, including cancer pain, presents significant management challenges.
- Implantable drug delivery systems offer a potential solution for continuous, targeted pain relief.
- Percutaneously refillable pumps allow for sustained administration of analgesics.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of epidural or intrathecal opiate analgesia using implanted pumps for chronic pain management.
- To assess long-term outcomes, including dosage requirements and addiction potential, in patients receiving continuous opiate infusion.
- To identify indications and complication rates associated with implanted pump systems for pain relief.
Summary:
- A study involving 27 patients (19 chronic pain, 8 cancer pain) demonstrated the utility of implanted pumps for epidural (24 patients) or intrathecal (3 patients) opiate analgesia with bupivacaine.
- Long-term follow-up (up to 5 years) showed no significant increase in daily buprenorphine dosage for chronic pain patients and no addiction issues.
- A 13% complication rate highlights the need for implantation by experienced multidisciplinary teams.
Impact:
- Implantable pump systems provide a viable, long-term option for managing severe chronic pain, potentially improving quality of life.
- This approach may reduce the need for systemic opioids and their associated side effects.
- Specialized implantation teams are crucial to minimize complications and optimize patient outcomes.
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