Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Anesthesia - Supplement to Outpatient Surgery Magazine - July 2016

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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4 6 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E J U LY 2 0 1 6 capabilities. For example, Dr. Khetarpal notes, while electronic pumps tend to be slightly more accurate and have additional features like delayed infusion start times, they also can confuse elderly patients, who might prefer a simpler set-and-go elastomeric pump. "There's no data to suggest exact flow rate, a bolus feature or a specific type of pain pump is the recipe for the best possible block, because every block, every patient and every placement is different," says Dr. Amundson. He suggests you can choose a more complicated pain pump if there are enough staff mem- bers available to make the tweaks needed to ensure it works properly. If you don't have the staff available, however, opt for a simpler option. Either way, says Dr. Amundson, make sure the pumps are easy for patients to use. Outside of the pump itself, there are additional vendor services to consider. Several pump manufacturers offer perks such as 24/7 hotlines for patients to call with questions. Some companies even offer to make follow-up phone calls to patients recovering at home. "Those services are great for night coverage, especially in an outpatient setting, where you likely won't have a staff member holding a pager all the time," says Dr. Amundson. You may also want to consider electronic pumps that collect data about how a patient uses the pump, which can help your facility better tailor its CNBs in the future. Ms. Winchester says the added cost of a few hundred dollars per case is a worthwhile investment. She notes that an influx of patients have traveled to the center specifically seeking out its pain control services. As someone who's been on the other side of the pump, she understands why. "I had surgery and received a single-shot block before I went home," she says. "I was in a lot of pain. They brought me in and placed the pump and it was absolutely amazing. You always hear that the first 3 days are the worst, but the pain pump makes it much easier to go through." OSM

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