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Intrathecal Drug Delivery with the SynchroMed® System

Building on the success of SynchroMed EL, which was introduced in the 1980's and has been implanted in more than 50,000 patients worldwide, SynchroMed II is an advanced, fully implantable, programmable, long-term intrathecal drug delivery system for the treatment of pain, spasticity and cancer. Its many new features enhance patient quality of life and streamline the process of patient management.

SynchroMed is ideal for patients whose pain state and analgesic requirements are expected to fluctuate within a day and vary over time. In contrast to fixed rate pumps which are typically used for predictable stable pain profiles, SynchroMed allows pain-relieving drugs, such as morphine, to be delivered at a variety of flow rates to optimise therapy.

As SynchroMed is a totally implantable system, it reduces the risk of infection compared to the long-term use of external systems and does not restrict daily activities. The programmable pump allows clinicians to adjust doses non-invasively, minimising patient discomfort. Furthermore, the pump can be programmed to deliver different doses at various times of the day, thereby meeting each patients' specific needs.

Clinical advantages of Intrathecal drug delivery with the SynchroMed infusion system

Good to excellent pain relief in 65-95% of patients [2,5,6]
Reduces the need for additional pain medications [2,5]
Reduces side-effects in comparison to oral/parenteral narcotics eg addiction
and tolerance [7-9]
Site-specific delivery means lower opioid doses e.g. the equivalent of 1/300th
of an oral dosage of morphine can often provide effective pain relief [1,2,3]
Less sedation and constipation than systemic drugs [2]
Improves activities of daily living [2,4,5]
Enhances overall mood [2,5,6]

References

1. Paice J, Penn R, Schott S. Intraspinal morphine for chronic pain: a retrospective multicenter study.
    J Pain Symptom Manage 1996;11:71-80
2. Winkelmuller M, Winkelmuller W. Long-term effects of continuous intrathecal opioid treatment in chronic
    pain of nonmalignant etiology. J Neurosurg 1996;85:458-467
3. Krames ES. Intraspinal opioid therapy for chronic nonmalignant pain: current practice and clinical guidelines.
    J Pain Symptom Manage 1996;11:333-352
4. Kanoff R. Intraspinal deliver of opiates by an implantable, programmable pump in patients with chronic
    intractable pain of nonmalignant origin. Journal of the American Osteopathic Society 1994;6:487-493
5. Penn R, Paice J. Chronic intrathecal morphine for intractable pain. J Neurosurg 1987;67:182-186
6. Auld A, Maki-Jokela A, Murdoch D. Intraspinal narcotic analgesia in the treatment of chronic pain.
    Spine 1985;10:777-781
7. Plummer J, Cherry D, Cousins M et al. Long-term spinal administration of morphine in cancer
    and non-cancer pain: a retrospective study. Pain 1999;44:215-220
8. Follet K, Hitchen P, Piper J. Response of intractable pain to continuous intrathecal morphine:
    a retrospective study. Pain 1992;49:21-25
9. Gilmer-Hill, Biggan J, Smith K et al. Intrathecal morphine delivered via subcutaneous pump for intractable
    pain in pancreatic cancer. Surg Neurol 1999;51:6-11

Pain Management

Pain Management