Intrathecal drug delivery.
Micro-doses, delivered directly.
Implanted pump that delivers analgesic medication directly into the spinal fluid — used for cancer pain and severe non-cancer pain where systemic medications have failed or produced intolerable side effects.
Bypass the bloodstream. Deliver medication to the source.
An intrathecal drug delivery system consists of a small pump implanted under the abdominal skin connected to a thin catheter that delivers medication into the spinal fluid. Because the medication is delivered directly to the spinal cord, doses are typically one to three hundred times smaller than the same drug given orally — with proportionally fewer systemic side effects. Most pumps deliver morphine, ziconotide, or a combination, programmable by the implanting team.
A staged process: trial, then implant.
Like spinal cord stimulation, we trial before we implant. A temporary intrathecal catheter or single intrathecal injection is used to assess response. If the trial demonstrates meaningful pain reduction without intolerable side effects, the permanent pump is implanted — a forty-five-to-ninety-minute procedure performed in the operating room. Refills are done in the office every several weeks to months by injecting medication into a port on the pump through the skin.
For severe chronic pain when oral medications have failed.
The strongest indications are oncologic pain not controlled by oral or transdermal opioids, severe non-cancer pain in patients with intolerable side effects from oral medications, and refractory spasticity (where intrathecal baclofen is used instead). Patient selection is rigorous. The trial is required.
A long-term commitment with significant ongoing care.
Pump implants are a multi-year commitment. Pumps are refilled in the clinic on a schedule set by the medication concentration. Dose adjustments are made wirelessly. Patients carry a wallet card indicating they have an implanted pump. We monitor closely for the duration of therapy.
Stop accepting the downtime.
When less invasive options have not worked, this can change a life. Schedule a consultation at any Triumph location.