Fuerteventura General Hospital Introduces Intrathecal Pump for Complex Chronic Pain Patients
It is estimated that around 26,000 people on the island suffer from chronic pain. This device enables localized drug delivery in very small doses, interrupting pain pathways at their source and reducing side effects.
The General Hospital of Fuerteventura, part of the Canary Islands Health Department, has introduced a new implantable intrathecal infusion system that delivers medication directly to the nerve pathways involved in pain perception. This technology marks a significant advance in treating chronic pain, which affects roughly 26,000 island residents, especially those for whom conventional therapies fail to provide adequate symptom control.
On Friday, October 24, the Pain Unit performed the first implantation of the device in a patient with highly complex, treatment‑refractory chronic pain. The pump allows localized delivery of medication straight into the spinal cord, acting on the origin of the pain.
This approach achieves a high therapeutic concentration at the target site while using a dose far lower than that required for oral or systemic treatments. It also provides more effective relief, greater tolerance to therapy, and a significant reduction in side effects associated with conventional medication.
The procedure was carried out by the Pain Unit of the General Hospital of Fuerteventura, coordinated by anesthesiology, resuscitation and pain‑treatment specialists Katarzyna Szymczak and Rafael Guerra, with clinical support from the Pain Unit of the University Hospital Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, represented by its counterpart Carlos Horas.
Programming and Placement of the Device
The intrathecal infusion pump is programmed from a computer and personalized to each patient’s needs, simplifying the work of physicians and nurses, optimizing care resources, and improving clinical follow‑up. The system also ensures precise, continuous drug delivery without requiring direct intervention from the patient or caregivers, thereby enhancing therapeutic adherence and quality of life.
Placement of the device is performed in the operating theatre during a brief procedure that requires local anesthesia and patient sedation. A small incision is made in the back, and radiological guidance is used to insert the catheter into the intrathecal space, which connects to a reservoir placed under the abdominal skin.
All critical steps are carried out under radiological vision, guaranteeing accurate and safe positioning of the pump.
Once implanted, the pump must be refilled every few months via a percutaneous injection, ensuring long‑term efficacy.
Chronic Pain as a Disease in Its Own Right
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic pain should not be viewed merely as a symptom but as a disease itself. It is defined as pain that occurs continuously (more than four days per week) and persists for at least three months.
The Pain Unit of the General Hospital of Fuerteventura thus reinforces its commitment to technological innovation and comprehensive care, offering patients the most advanced and effective therapies—human‑centered solutions that also strengthen the public health system’s capacity on the island.
Multidisciplinary team of the Chronic Pain Unit at the General Hospital, coordinated by specialists Katarzyna Szymczak and Rafael Guerra, together with Pain Unit coordinator Carlos Horas from Hospital La Candelaria.