Intrathecal Pain Pump in Houston, Texas
An oral opioid travels through the stomach, the liver, and the bloodstream, saturating the entire body in order to reach a small population of receptors in the spinal cord. Delivering the drug directly into the spinal fluid reaches those same receptors at roughly one three-hundredth of the oral dose.
Less drug. Less sedation. Less constipation. Less of everything the body did not need in the first place.
What is an Intrathecal Pump?
An intrathecal drug delivery system is a programmable pump implanted beneath the skin of the abdomen, connected to a fine catheter that delivers medication directly into the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the spinal cord.
The pump is refilled in the office through a port, typically every one to six months, and the dose is adjusted by telemetry without any procedure at all.
Medications Used
- Morphine and hydromorphone — opioids, the most common agents
- Ziconotide — a non-opioid calcium channel blocker derived from cone snail venom, useful when opioids are unsuitable
- Bupivacaine — a local anesthetic, usually combined with an opioid
- Baclofen — for severe spasticity rather than pain
The Trial Comes First
As with spinal cord stimulation, no patient receives a permanent pump without a trial. A single intrathecal injection or a temporary catheter establishes whether the therapy delivers meaningful relief and whether the patient tolerates it.
Who It Helps
- Chronic non-cancer pain refractory to all other management
- Cancer pain , particularly when oral opioid side effects have become intolerable
- Failed back surgery syndrome in patients unsuitable for, or failed by, spinal cord stimulation
- CRPS with widespread involvement
- Severe spasticity from multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or spinal cord injury
What It Asks of You
This is a long-term commitment. Refills must not be missed — an empty pump can precipitate withdrawal. Catheter granulomas, though uncommon, are serious. Pumps require replacement roughly every five to seven years when the battery expires.
It is reserved for patients for whom other options have genuinely been exhausted, and it works well for exactly that group.
Careful Evaluation at Remix Medical
Contact Remix Medical to schedule a consultation with a board-certified pain management physician in Houston.