Studies link shoulder chondrolysis to pain pump devices
Patients who used pain pump devices to relieve pain from shoulder surgery are at risk for permanent joint damage, according to recent studies. Pain pumps are balloon-like devices that are filled with anesthetics that deliver medication directly into the surgical space via a catheter. The medication is slowly released into the joint space for up to 72 hours following surgery and then the catheter is removed by the patient.
While this use of pain pumps was a convenient way to relieve pain from surgery, it also resulted in a surprisingly high number of cases of a painful and debilitating deterioration of cartilage in the shoulder joint known as chondrolysis, specifically Postarthroscopic Glenhumeral Chondrolysis (PAGCL). The condition is permanent and many who suffer from it require shoulder replacement surgery.