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P A I N
M A N A G E M E N T
cific pain management needs. On-demand bolus dosage for immediate, additional pain relief has long been part of a pump's operation,
but 1 manufacturer recently introduced a "true parallel bolus" function, which temporarily ups the dose without affecting the base rate.
If you're in the market for a new pump, though, make sure that the
patient control aspects that draw you in are easy for the patient to
control. "The most important feature of a pain pump is that it's simple
to use, and easy to figure out how it works," says Daniel Nash, CRNA,
DNAP, of St. Anthony's Bone and Joint Hospital in Oklahoma City and
Maverick Regional Anesthesia Education. "We often send them home
with these, so we want them to be able to operate them on their
own."
Because the devices are sent home with patients, he notes, they
tend to be extremely safe — the anesthesia is a low, dilute concentration and the infusion rate controls are highly accurate — but if they're
not understood, they can frustrate patients, or leave them to suffer
more pain than is necessary. Dials and buttons that are easy to read
and manipulate are a good sign, as is the availability of a manufacturer's customer service hotline with 24-7 access.
Pieces and parts
As long as a pump does its job, it's easy to take the component
parts for granted. But the pieces that make up a pump make a difference, and can be improved.
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | F E B R U A R Y 2013
