[Drug pumps]

The aim of therapeutic research is to find out an effective medication against the disease without any dangerous toxic action. The delicate problem is that very often the dose of drug confines with toxicity. The solutions are numerous: transformation of supports, change of the introduction route, adaptation of the concentration. It has been realised that, in certain disease, continuous infusion of medication was much more effective than repeated intermittent injections. The general technic of drug contribution by a pump supposed a drug reservoir with sufficient volume to prevent the frequent manipulations, a source of energy assuring the circulation of the drug and a control of the speed of the drug delivery. These attempts are not exceptional in our practice, being very often utilized in the treatment of difficult diabetes by insulin infusion, the thrombosing diseases be heparin infusion, some forms of diffused cancers by specific chemotherapeutic agents, acute polyhormonal insufficiencies... It is also possible to use infusion pumps in intensive cares with administration of antibiotics, of antalgic drugs, in cardiology for the management of atrial fibrillation, atrial and/or ventricular tachycardias, etc. The most common are the portable pumps and the implantable.