Intrathecal Baclofen Dosing Regimens: A Retrospective Chart Review

To examine dosing patterns in patients receiving baclofen via intrathecal baclofen pumps to assess for common patterns by diagnosis, ambulation ability, and affected limbs distribution.

This trial study included 25 patients with baclofen pumps selected from the 356 patients enrolled in our center's baclofen pump program. Selection was done by splitting all patients into diagnostic categories of stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic/anoxic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury, and then, five patients were randomly selected from each diagnosis.A systematic chart review was then conducted for each patient from Jan 1, 2008, through September 16, 2013, to look at factors including mean daily dose at end of study, and among those implanted during the study mean initial stable dose and time to initial stable dose.

Analysis of mean daily dose across diagnoses found significant differences, with brain injury, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury patients having higher doses while multiple sclerosis and stroke patients required lower doses. Nonambulatory patients strongly trended to have higher daily doses than ambulatory patients. Similar trends of mean initial stable dose being higher in a similar pattern as that of end mean daily dose were seen according to diagnoses and ambulatory status, although statistical significance could not be achieved with the small sample size.

Significant differences in dosing were found between diagnoses and trended to differ by ambulatory status at the end of the study, and similar trends could be observed in achieving initial stable dose.