Complications leading to device explant in patients with chronic non-cancer pain receiving intrathecal drug delivery.

INTRODUCTION

Intrathecal drug delivery (IDD) is often used in the management of refractory chronic non-cancer pain, particularly persistent chronic low back pain in the setting of previous lumbar spine surgery (persistent spinal pain syndrome type 2 (PSPS2)). Complications of IDD leading to device explant in patients with chronic non-cancer pain have not been well characterized. This study evaluated complications leading to device explants in a large cohort of patients with chronic non-cancer pain treated with IDD.

METHODS

A retrospective study was undertaken on patients with chronic non-cancer pain who underwent device implants by Pain Medicine physicians between June 2009 and December 2022 at a large tertiary center academic practice. Data collection included demographic and comorbidity data as well as the various indications for device explant.

RESULTS

Data were collected from 215 patients with chronic non-cancer pain who underwent device implant and were followed for a mean duration of 80±48.8 months. The average age at the time of implant was 63.24±12.05 years, and the majority (184 patients) suffered from PSPS2. The explant rate was 26.1%, and device-related infection was the leading cause of explants occurring in 9.3% of patients and 5.9% of device surgeries. Loss of analgesic efficacy leading to device explant occurred in 5.6% of patients, but this was significantly less than the explant rate due to habituation noted with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in a similar patient population. compared with other complications leading to device explants, infections had a much earlier time interval from device implant to explant. No demographic or comorbidity factors correlated with device explants.

CONCLUSION

Device-related infections are the leading cause for explants in IDD for chronic non-cancer pain. Explants due to loss of analgesic efficacy occurred at a lesser frequency with IDD compared with SCS explants in a similar patient population.