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Sending Patients Home With Pain Pumps
Jim Burger | Contributing Editor
Peripheral nerve catheters are your secret weapon
in the quest for prolonged post-surgical pain control.
Brandon
Winchester,
MD
P
atients who are given regional nerve blocks wake up
faster, are more alert and have less pain. They need
fewer opioids, so they're less likely to have respiratory
distress or nausea. Which means they can usually be
discharged sooner and start physical therapy sooner.
The only problem? Blocks wear off.
That's where continuous peripheral nerve catheters and pain pumps
can take over. Yes, continuous nerve blocks add a whole new level of
complexity for patients, but they can control and dramatically reduce
post-surgical pain for several days.
When you send patients home with a pump and a little education,
they're usually able to get through the toughest post-surgical stretch
without relying heavily on opioids. And by recovering comfortably at
home, they reduce the burden on providers and the healthcare system
in general.
