A review of pain pumps in plastic surgery

Continuous infusions of local anesthetics for postoperative analgesia have been used for several years by numerous surgical subspecialties. Plastic surgery has only recently embraced these pain pumps, most of which have been used in breast and abdominal surgery. Many different pain pump systems are available. They have been used in many studies and have been found to be effective in improving postoperative analgesia, decreasing narcotic use, and decreasing nausea and vomiting. They have little associated morbidity and systemic toxicity. However, the efficacy of these pain pumps in various areas of plastic surgery need to be studied in well-designed prospective clinical trials. The present paper reviews the current status of the available evidence, usefulness and limitations of the use of pain pumps in plastic surgery.