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S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT 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 | M O N T H 2 0 1 4
H E R N I A R E P A I R
F
ollowing hernia surgery, it's
standard procedure to give
patients acetaminophen, ketoro-
lac or another non-steroidal anti-inflam-
matory medication, either intravenously
or orally. But your post-op pain man-
agement regimen can still be actively
working for days after patients arrive
home.
Many abdominal surgeons swear by
continuous local anesthetic infusion
pumps, strategically placing their
catheters beneath the skin at the end of
the case. The pump's elastomeric reser-
voir begins infusing long-lasting bupiva-
caine or ropivacaine into the surgical
site or over the abdominal nerves on its
own and counteracts the effects of sur-
gical pain before the patient even
leaves the room.
The take-home, disposable pain
pumps, available in different sizes and
with a range of dosing features and set-
tings, make a surgery that once required
2 or 3 days of recovery in the hospital
into one that involves discharging
patients within a day and letting them
get back to normal sooner.
"I can't overstate the value they
offer," says Rita Hadley, MD, PhD,
FACS, a general surgeon at Miami
Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. "Fear
is a terrible negative motivator. 'I'm in
pain' can easily lead to 'I won't be
able to take care of myself,' and that
step can make for a difficult recovery.
Pain pumps lend patients in recovery
an enormous amount of confidence."
— David Bernard
PUMP IT UP
Continuous
local
anesthetic infu-
sion can smooth
patients' recovery
in PACU as well
as at home.
DELAY-FREE DISCHARGE
Are Pumps Part of Your Pain Plan?
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