Importance

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Abstract

A catheter intended to be implanted in the epidural space of a patient for relief of pain, either temporarily or permanently, includes four circumferential ring electrodes connected to terminals by fine wires embedded in the side wall of the catheter for attachment to a conventional electric pulse generator and a hollow elongated body having a lumen therethrough with an injection portal at the proximal end and an aperture at the distal end for continuously administering a pain-relieving agent in a liquid form. The agent may be a narcotic or anesthesia. In the permanently implantable embodiment, the catheter includes an implantable pulse generator and an implantable drug reservoir, both of which can be repeatedly programmed while implanted. Methods for treating pain using the catheter include electrical stimulation, the use of narcotics, or anesthesia, which can be administered in any order, or simultaneously as empirically determined to provide the best pain relief for each patient.

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First Claim