Have you ever imagined yourself in a post-surgery without any pain? It seems like a dream, but the good news is that for some procedures the fact has already become reality.
The miracle according to the literature is in using elastomeric infusers for the continuous infusion of medications. At the Sírio Libanês hospital, the team of orthopedic surgeons dr. Caio Santos Checchia and Prof. dr. Sergio L. Checchia has been using the resource for shoulder surgeries for the repair of the rotator cuff for some years now.
The injury that is caused by the rupture of the tendons can be affected both by the practice of sport and by age. And with the intervention, if there is no pain control, the patient can suffer a lot in the first 48 hours after surgery.
According to dr. Caio Santos Checchia, orthopedist specialized in Shoulder and Elbow, the post-surgical pain control procedure is quite common in the United States, but in Brazil the protocol is scarce. “We have used the protocol since 2004 and always with great success”, he points out.
The protocol instituted by these orthopedic surgeons from Sírio Libanês consists of installing the elastomeric infuser, which is common in oncology, right after the surgery is over. In this system is added the drug that will be gradually infusing the drug for 48 hours. “As the medication is infused slowly and gradually, the system has been shown to be very effective”, he points out.
Anesthesiologist Ursula Guirro, a professor at the Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba, regrets that in Brazil it is still “normal” to feel pain in the post-surgical period. According to her, lung, knee, hip, shoulder and elbow surgery protocols could already routinely insert catheters into the joints with the infusion pump injecting the medication continuously.
Dr. Mario Armani Neto, orthopedist, specialized in bone tumor, from Curitiba, mentions that one of the reasons why the procedure is not widespread due to lack of knowledge about the infusion protocol for pain control, in the post-surgical period. “In my routine, I receive patients where the protocol for containing pain is not enough. And I see a concern by the Brazilian Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology in meeting the demand for specialized training in pain for orthopedists ”.
About the elastomeric infuser
AutoFuser home infusers have been used for continuous chemotherapy for almost 20 years, across the country.
The device provides the patient with less side effects than a procedure administered at once or by hospitalization. In addition to reducing side effects, infusion chemotherapy takes the patient out of the hospital. And being at home, the patient receives the medication peacefully, without risk, and this offers a positive reaction to the treatment.
AutoFuser is a mechanical, portable, disposable and accurate device for administering medications. The product is indicated for several protocols for both cancer and pain treatment.
Illustration: Ivo Júnior
