Abstract
Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is increasingly spreading in Japan to improve the quality of postoperative analgesia or analgesia for cancer pain. PCA is provided using either a mechanical infusion pump or a disposable infusion pump. Gemstar PCA pump is a new mechanical infusion pump provided by Hospira Japan Co., Ltd. and has two administration modes that include one regimen for PCA and seven regimens for various clinical settings including PCA. These pumps have improved upon the weak points of previous mechanical PCA pumps, thereby being suitable for Japanese users, who are not accustomed to dealing with mechanical PCA pumps. Although the Gemstar PCA pump has its drawback, such as its memory size and its portability, it is expected to be used effectively in broad clinical fields including the area of pain control.
