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The Accufuser Plus Pain Pump is a DonJoy medical product that provides pain management after surgery. With infusions of a local anesthetic agent such as bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, or ropivacaine to the site of surgery, the Accufuser Plus allows a patient to self-deliver medication to control post-operative pain.
The Accufuser Plus Pain Pump is in a category of pain-management devices (known generically as “pain pumps”) that have been linked to a very unfortunate post-surgical complication, PAGCL. In 2006, several orthopedic surgeons noticed that some patients who had undergone arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder joint were developing a mysterious set of symptoms:
The physicians investigated and found a common denominator among the affected patients — the post-operative use of a shoulder pain pump (such as the Accufuser Plus and other models). The symptoms comprise a condition called post-arthroscopic glenohumeral chondrolysis (PAGCL), which is deterioration of the cartilage at the ends of the shoulder joint bones.
Although devices such as the Accufuser Pump provide single-use, temporary treatment that lasts for a maximum of about five days, the pumps may somehow cause PAGCL in their brief period of usage.
The exact mechanism of PAGCL’s development is not understood. Doctors and researchers know only that (1) this condition is a progressive destruction of cartilage, and (2) there is no reliable cure for PAGCL.
Cartilage is a rubbery connective tissue that absorbs shocks and reduces friction in a joint. When PAGCL destroys the cartilage in a shoulder joint, the shoulder is left without the protection provided by cartilage.
Severe PAGCL means constant, debilitating pain. The only options are further surgery and/or lifelong use of medication to ease the pain.
If you’re experiencing PAGCL symptoms or other complications of pain pump treatment, contact a shoulder pain pump lawyer today and learn about your legal options.
According to recent reports, patients who had surgery for dislocated shoulders are saying the product they used to control the pain caused more harm than good.
Many patients have reported that in trying to ease their pain us...
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