Baclofen pump surgery Home care (1228)

Key points below

This sheet will help you care for your child after surgery. Please follow these directions at home. If you have other questions, ask your child’s doctor or nurse.

Incision and pump area

You may leave the incision uncovered. If your child has steri-strips, they will fall off on their own. If they don’t fall off, you can take them off 2 weeks after surgery.
Your child may have some swelling around the top and sides of the pump. This may last for a few days or as long as a few weeks. It is from fluid and it is normal. An ace wrap can be used to keep the swelling down.

Activity

Limit activities that put stress on the incision for 6 weeks. Your child should not bend or turn at the waist.
Avoid tight cloths such as elastic waistbands and belts. They may bother the incision.

Medicine

Use acetaminophen (Tylenol®) every 4 to 6 hours for pain if needed.
Never stop oral anti-spasticity medicines like baclofen or Dantrium®. This can cause withdrawal symptoms. These medicines need to be stopped slowly. A schedule to stop the medicine can be made with your doctor.

Constipation

Constipation may get worse for a little while if narcotics are given for pain. Your child should have a bowel movement at least every 2 to 3 days. Keep your child on their bowel program if they have one. Ask your child’s doctor for help with this if needed.

Diet

Your child may have their normal diet as soon as they feel up to it.

Follow-up care

Always carry the emergency card and plastic guide that was mailed to you after surgery. This card will let the ER know to call the Physical Medical & Rehab (PM&R) doctors if needed.
You will need a clinic visit about 1to 2 weeks after surgery. This visit is important. Your doctor will check the incision, the pump and your child’s spasticity. The baclofen dose will be changed if needed.

Pump refills

A pump refill visit must be made before leaving each clinic visit. The pump needs to be refilled on a regular basis.
We keep track of when your pump needs to be refilled. If you change a pump visit, you must reschedule the refill visit when you call. This will keep from missing a refill. If you miss a refill visit, your child could have withdrawal symptoms.

Who to call

If there is an emergency after office hours, call (414) 266-2000. Ask to have the on-call PM & R attending doctor paged.
For regular visits, call central scheduling at (414) 607-5280 or 1-877-607-5280. Be sure to let them know your child has a baclofen pump.

ALERT

Call your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic if you have any questions or concerns or if your child has:

A fever over 101°F (38.3°C).
Pain, redness, swelling, or drainage around the incision.
Not had a bowel movement for 4 days.
Nausea or vomiting.
A hard time breathing.
Has weakness, is quite sleepy or lightheaded.
Slurred speech, double or blurred vision, or itching.
Special health care needs that were not covered by this information.