Dr. Shah’s Patient Pointers:
“Pain Pumps” Are a Spot-on Solution for Banning Post-op Pain
It used to be that there were two options for controlling post-surgical pain: over-the-counter pain relievers, which are often inefficient, and prescription pain relievers, which are often narcotic, carrying with them side effects including nausea, constipation, drowsiness, and risk of dependence. |
And while these options can work perfectly well for some people, patients of Dr. Shah now have a newer method for managing post-operative pain. The ACCUFUSER® pump—or simply the “pain pump”—is an increasingly popular way to alleviate discomfort following surgery.
What Is the Pain Pump?
The ACCUFUSER®, manufactured by Curlin Medical, is essentially a pump that delivers a continuous, fixed-rate flow of non-narcotic, local anesthetic directly to the source of pain. During your surgery, a tiny tube (called a catheter) is inserted and placed under the surgical incision. This catheter is attached to a small, external pump, which will begin to deliver pain medication immediately after your procedure and continue to steadily dispense the solution for 24-hour, uninterrupted relief. Instead of traveling throughout the bloodstream in order to eventually provide moderate relief, the pain pump essentially saturates the entire area with a local anesthetic, which acts as a numbing solution, instantaneously eliminating pain. |
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And, unbelievably, that’s not as good as it gets: Patients now have the option of choosing the ACCUFUSER® PLUS, which provides the ability—at the press of a button—to self-administer an additional dose of local anesthetic, as needed, for ultimate comfort.
What Are the Benefits as Opposed to Traditional Treatments for Pain? |
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Increased efficiency for greater comfort and relief |
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Greatly reduced side effects such as nausea, constipation, drowsiness, etc. |
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Non-narcotic means there is no risk of dependence or addiction |
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Relief is immediate, as opposed to oral medication which may require longer than 30 minutes to take effect |
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Lightweight and portable, so you can go about your daily routine, easily taking your pain relief with you |
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Continuous delivery means there’s no worry about remembering your next pill…or when you took your last |
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Local delivery eliminates the worry of taking medication on an “empty or full stomach” |
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No impairment in mental functioning |
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Fewer toxins throughout your system as a whole |
Is It Safe?
With an FDA-approval and latex-free composition, the pain pump is likely to be safer than traditional pain medications. Depending on the patient, some traditional oral medications have a greater probability of an allergic reaction, risk of overdose, or physical and/or psychological dependence.
If you are interested in taking advantage of the pain pump, please speak with Dr. Shah or a member of the Beautologie staff PRIOR to your procedure; we are happy to provide you with answers to all of your questions and concerns.
You may also visit www.curlinmedical.com/ for more details.
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