Pain Pump Injury | Quick Facts on Shoulder Pain Pumps | Law Offices of Stuart Kritzer
 
   
 
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Pain Pumps
Shoulder Pain Pump Injury:
Robert's Story		  
What is a Pain Pump?
A pain pump is a small, portable medical device used to inject continuous dosages of pain relief medication via a catheter to an area where surgery was performed for up to 3 days after surgical procedures.

Types of surgeries Pain Pump used? Shoulder surgeries, knee surgeries, breast augmentation, gastric bypass, and caesarean section

What are the formal names of Pain Pumps?
I-Flow, On-Q PainBuster, Stryker Pain Pump 2, Donjoy Pain Control Device

Reasons given for use of Pain Pump
Better surgical pain relief, elimination or reduction of narcotics, and reduced hospital stay.

Risks associated with Pain Pump usage in shoulder surgeries?
In some shoulder surgeries, the pump was inserted into the joint space instead of the muscle tissue, nerve block or within a vein (IV drip) to dispense an anesthetic to address pain issues. The problem is that when injected directly into the shoulder cavity where the surgery was performed, the drugs can kill the cells making up the cartilage separating the cup of the shoulder and the top of the arm bone, or humerus. The result is a destruction of the cartilage and resulting bone-on-bone movement. The diagnosis is called Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL). In a recent study, 63% of shoulder surgery patients treated with a pain pump administering bupivacaine and epinephrine developed PAGCL.
 
 
 
What is Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL)?
PAGCL is an irreversible, permanent, degenerative, disabling and extremely painful condition causing the complete or nearly complete loss of cartilage in the shoulder joint.

Symptoms of PAGCL
 Symptoms of PAGCL include shoulder pain, stiffness, popping or grinding when the shoulder is in motion; decrease in range of motion; and a loss of strength in the joint.  Diagnosis of PAGCL
 PAGCL is often diagnosed by x-rays showing the narrowing of the shoulder joint.  It can show up months after the surgery is performed.

Treatment / Prognosis of Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL)
Treatments range from medical management, pain medication, physical therapy and cortisone injections to surgical procedures including partial and complete shoulder joint replacements. Furthermore, people with active lifestyles are forced to give up or restrict activities due to loss of motion, shoulder functions and increased pain.

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