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What Happens During the Procedure?

First, an intravenous line will be placed, generally in your hand. We will then bring you to the operating room and place several monitors on you, such as a heart, blood pressure and a pulse. These will enable us to monitor your vital signs throughout the procedure. Following placement of the monitors we will begin to give you some intravenous medication in order to decrease anxiety, as well as provide you with some pain relief.

You will be asked to lie on your side in the surgical suite. An x-ray is used to help guide the intrathecal catheter to the correct position. After cleaning your skin, the skin is anesthetized with local anesthetic to decrease any pain associated with performance of the procedure. By this point, you will already have received sedation by the anesthesiologist, as well.

The intrathecal catheter is placed through a small incision in your back. The programmable pump is placed under the skin in the right or left abdomen where there is sufficient skin and soft tissue to support the pump. A pocket is created underneath the skin to contain the pump. The catheter is tunneled from the back, underneath the skin to the abdomen where it is connected to the programmable pump. Both incisions are then closed with sutures. The pump is filled with the medication while you are in the surgical suite, and the programming is initiated. It will be functioning before you leave the surgical suite.