subject: What is a Pain Pump, and Why Do I Need It? [print this page] A pain pump is a device that has a pain medicine reservoir; which delivers pain medicine to a designated surgical area. The delivery system is a tiny tube, or catheter, that the surgeon places into the area of surgery in the operating room. It comes out of the body, and then is attached to the pump portion. A circular ball is filled with numbing medicine and slowly pumps numbing medicine into the catheter for several days.
The pain pump can be automatic or patient controlled. You have a slow, consistent delivery of numbing medicine directly to the area of surgery. The numbing medicine has the advantage of being delivered right to the area of surgical dissection, giving maximal pain relief. Numbing medicine also has the advantage of working only in the surgical area so it has no systemic effects, such as causing constipation, nausea, or feelings of drowsiness.
Using narcotic pain medications has a disadvantage; they tend to have a global effect. Narcotics are absorbed into the bloodstream and can make you feel queasy, sleepy, constipated, nauseated, or a combination of all of these. Even though you are in pain, you may feel these other symptoms as well. If you can avoid taking narcotics and still be in less pain, then you will recover faster and feel better.
Occasionally, some patients are very motivated to return to work as soon as possible or have a limited amount of time off for surgery recovery. Using a pain pump allows you to ensure the fact that you don't have that much pain after surgery yet still recover in a less painful fashion. You may be able to work for several hours over the phone or on the computer the next day after surgery if you get a pain pump.
Before pain pumps were invented, patients would typically require IV pain medicine or pain pills by mouth every 4-6 hours. With the pain pump, you will probably need fewer pain pills by mouth and hopefully for a shorter period of time.
Pain pump removal is fairly simpleand depending on the type of pump and surgical procedure, it may be possible for you to remove the device by yourself. Your plastic surgeon may wish to remove it in the office. This is a fairly quick, pain-free procedure to remove the pain pump device.
Pain pumps are becoming increasingly common in breast surgery, tummy tuck surgery, and other kinds of Plastic Surgery.
