Intraspinal analgesia: a new route for an old drug

Chronic pain control is a pressing world health problem. Despite the magnitude of this health issue, health care professionals receive little formal training in pain management, hence attempts to deal with chronically suffering patients may be futile. A new intervention, the infusion of low-dose spinal opiates via a totally implanted continuous flow pump, is providing a new approach to pain control and offering a desirable alternative to the need for escalating systemic narcotics and neuroablative procedures. A brief overview of the anatomy and physiology of the pain mechanism will be discussed as well as rationale for the use of continuous infusion of spinal opiates. Nursing interventions for the patient receiving intraspinal analgesia will also be discussed.