The Pain Unit of the Doctor José Molina Orosa University Hospital has recently incorporated and successfully implanted the latest generation of intrathecal infusion pump to treat patients with resistant chronic pain. This new device is designed to treat "high-intensity chronic pain" in patients who do not respond to other treatment modalities.
The infusion pump administers the analgesic medication in the vicinity of the patient's spinal cord, resulting in "better analgesic results" than those achieved by conventional routes, such as oral, intramuscular, or intravenous. In addition, intrathecal administration requires very small doses to achieve analgesia, which "reduces side effects."
The intrathecal infusion pump is programmed from a computer and allows the dose of drugs administered to be regulated according to the individual needs of each patient. This is a key aspect in the entire process because proper programming ensures better monitoring of treatment and minimizes the need for direct intervention by the patient or their caregivers.
The device is placed in the operating room in a brief procedure that requires local anesthesia and sedation of the patient. In this procedure, an incision is made in the back, and radiological control is used to guide the needle in inserting the catheter into the intrathecal space, which connects to a reservoir placed under the skin of the abdomen. Once implanted, the pump needs to be refilled every few months, an action that is carried out by means of an injection through the skin.
The head of the Chronic Pain Unit of Molina Orosa, María del Mar Domínguez, points out that "the administration of analgesic medication via the intrathecal route is a safe and effective therapeutic option in selected patients with resistant chronic pain. Access to these new resources contributes to improving the quality of life of patients and their caregivers."