First Implantation of New Intrathecal Drug Pump to Treat Chronic Pain

MOUNT OLIVE, N.J., Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Flowonix Medical, Inc., announced that the Dr. Javid Baksh was the first in western North Carolina to implant its Prometra® programmable intrathecal infusion pump for chronic pain. Dr. Baksh implanted the pump in a 52-year-old woman who had suffered for over ten years with chronic pain that did not respond to other treatments. The pump was implanted in the patient in a 90-minute procedure at Margaret Pardee Hospital in Henderson, NC. The patient is doing well.

"As a pain specialist, it is very gratifying for me to be able to offer this kind of pain relief to my patients who struggle every day with severe chronic pain," stated Dr. Javid Baksh of the Comprehensive Pain Consultants of the Carolinas. "Many patients cannot be optimally treated with conventional medications. The Prometra® pump offers an important new alternative for certain people with chronic pain syndromes."

It is estimated that 116 million people in the US suffer from chronic pain, which in many cases is not adequately controlled with pain medications, including oral narcotic agents. Untreated or undertreated chronic pain can lead to disability, depression, and reduced quality of life. Intrathecal pain therapy offers another approach when oral medications are not effective in controlling pain or are not well tolerated by the patient.

Intrathecal drug pumps are small, self-contained, battery-powered devices aimed at providing safe, dependable, automatic dosing of drugs directly to the spinal area. The pump is implanted in the patient's body and a thin catheter from the pump delivers medication from the pump's reservoir directly to the spine.

"The Prometra® pump offers the most accurate dosing of any intrathecal drug pump," stated Steve Adler, CEO of Flowonix. "And it has the longest service life of any programmable pump. In today's cost-conscious healthcare environment, these are important considerations. We are very pleased to help Dr. Baksh bring the advantages of the Prometra® pump to his patient."

Comprehensive Pain Consultants of the Carolinas clinicians work as an integrated team to address the unique needs of patients who suffer from chronic pain. Patients receive the comprehensive care and attention that they require and deserve to manage their chronic pain.  Physicians and clinicians are either board certified, or board eligible by their respective Specialty and Professional Boards, including the American Board of Anesthesiology in Pain Management, and the American Academy of Pain Management.  Comprehensive Pain Consultants of the Carolinas brings the best in minimally invasive, high-tech interventions to the patient by incorporating the best and most up-to-date treatments.

Comprehensive Pain Consultants of the Carolinas is experienced in leading innovation and advancements in comprehensive, interventional, chronic pain therapies.  These procedures include: intrathecal drug delivery (Flowonix Prometra), spinal cord stimulation (St. Jude Medical), minimally invasive direct decompressions of the lumbar spine, cervical epidural steroid injection, cervical facet radiofrequency neurotomy, Dekompressor discectomy, discography, facet joint injections, kyphoplasty, lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy, lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection, medial branch block, and percutaneous discectomy.

Dr. Baksh is a graduate of the UMDNJ- School of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology at SUNY Buffalo. He completed his Pain Medicine fellowship at the University of Cincinnati. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiology, the American Society for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the International Spine Intervention Society and the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. For more information about Dr. Javid Baksh, please visit http:comprehensivepainconsult.com. 

Dr. Baksh has office locations as follows:

Pain Clinic of Swain County
45 Plateau Street
Bryson, City, NC 28713
Telephone: 828-488-4247

Blue Ridge Pain Clinic
125 Hospital Drive
Spruce Pine, NC 28777
Telephone: 828-765-4201

Margaret Pardee Hospital Spine and Pain Center
800 North Justice Street
Hendersonville, NC 28791
Telephone: 828-694-4548

SOURCE Flowonix Medical, Inc.