Narcotics are administered for post-operative pain management 75 percent of the time, followed the first 24 to 48 hours with less potent drugs, such as acetaminophen or oral narcotics. This new system offers a great option for patients, especially since there is no use of narcotics. Ultimately, it s a lot safer for patients. Women may breast feed immediately after a C-section, which wasn t possible if they were taking narcotics for their pain. When someone is taking narcotics, the drugs can affect their judgment, and, for instance, their ability to drive a car, he adds.
Narcotics go throughout the body.
When patients use the On-Q System, they re receiving a continuous flow of anesthesia right around the site of the surgery. As for side effects, the risk is very low. Any time you introduce something into the body, there is a chance of a side-effect, says Dr. Kumar. Of the more than 40 patients who have used the system at South Suburban Hospital, there haven t been any incidents of side-effects. During the 1980s, various elastomeric infusion devices were developed in response to an increasing patient population receiving IV therapy at home in particular, AIDs patients.