What To Expect
Before Surgery:
Once you and your doctor decide a surgical procedure is the best option for you, your doctor will describe for you what to expect during and after your surgery. During your consultation, your doctor will also discuss the best postoperative pain relief options available for you. If your doctor is using the Symbios GOPump™ Rapid Recovery System, this is great news! Most people’s biggest concerns about a surgical procedure are the amount of pain they will feel afterwards and how long it will take to recover. With the Symbios GOPump™, patients often require little or no narcotics for pain relief and are able to rehabilitate and recover much faster!
Your physician will also describe to you what the GOPump™ is and how it works. The Symbios GOPump™ Rapid Recovery System is a disposable postoperative infusion pump that delivers a local anesthetic directly to your surgical site. The medication in the pump flows at a pre-determined rate for 3 to 6 days, requiring no work from you! This medicine will numb the area where you experiencing the most pain. It is very similar to receiving novocaine at the dentist. Because it is localized, the rest of you will be functioning normally. No feeling groggy or nausea as is often associated with the use of narcotics. You will also be able to get up and move around more quickly with a GOPump™, which is critical for a faster recovery.
During Surgery:
On the day of your surgery, you will be admitted and prepared per your surgeon’s instructions. You will most likely be placed under anesthesia and your operation should take a few hours, depending on the type of surgery performed.
While you are still under anesthesia, at the end of the procedure, the surgeon will begin placement of the GOPump™ into the surgical site. A catheter is inserted into the site with a small needle. The catheter is placed where you will be experiencing the most pain. It immediately bathes the area with the medication to provide you with pain relief over the course of 3 to 6 days. The catheter is attached to the pump tubing, and the pump itself is either clipped on with the built-in belt clip provided, bandaged to your body, or placed in a pouch for easy portability.
You will then be taken to the recovery room along with your Symbios GOPump™ Rapid Recovery System. Most patients can expect to be up and moving very soon after their surgery because of the GOPump’s™ pain relief assistance. You will also be given the Patient Information Brochure upon discharge from the hospital. This pamphlet will provide you the information you need on using the GOPump™, rare side effects, removal of the catheter (if instructed to do so by your physician) and the number for our patient hotline in case you have any questions or concerns.
After Surgery:
The Symbios GOPump™ Rapid Recovery System can be used on both inpatient and outpatient procedures. Once you are released from the hospital, you will have your GOPump™ with you, still releasing medication into your surgical site. There is nothing you need to do in order for it to work. The GOPump™ is designed to function on its own, delivering a pre-determined flow rate of medication every hour.
There are certain things you need to remember when using the Symbios GOPump™ Rapid Recovery System:
• Make sure there are no leaks from the system
• Make sure tubing is not kinked
• Keep the pump and tubing out of the reach of children
• Be careful not to get the pump wet. When showering, place the pump outside the shower or cover with a plastic bag
• Occasionally check the pump to ensure that is infusing. The light colored “balloon” visible inside the plastic housing will shrink over time indicating the flow of medication.
Please note that the rate of change is so slow, you will not be able to watch it move. No significant changes can be seen until at least 24 hours after surgery. You may view pictures of various pumps at different stages by going to How Do I Know It’s Working? and clicking on the slideshow of your pump type. The medication will be fully dispensed when the “balloon” becomes visibly flat on all sides, appearing like a thick pencil. Sometimes all sides are not evenly flat, but this is normal and not cause for alarm.
When the medication has been fully dispensed, you will be instructed by your physician to either come back into the office for catheter removal or to remove the catheter yourself. If you are removing the catheter yourself, follow the steps listed in the Patient Information Brochure or click on the Removing The Catheter page for instructions.
After the catheter has been removed, properly dispose of the pump. We suggest wrapping it in a plastic grocery bag before throwing it away.