Miller-Dwan's Regional
Rehabilitation Center
Named Center of Excellence
Miller-Dwan's Regional Rehabilitation Center of Duluth (RRCD) implanted the
first Baclofen pump in 1996. Today, RRCD manages over 60 pumps in its
program and has become quite good at what it does. So much so, Medtronic,
Baclofen pump developer, named Miller-Dwan's RRCD a Center of Excellence for
spasticity management.
The pump is an innovative approach for
treating patients experiencing spasticity or muscle spasms caused by spinal cord injury, multiple
sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or brain injury and consists of a programmable
drug pump, with a drug reservoir. The implant
procedure takes about two hours in which a
neurosurgeon makes an incision in the patient's back
placing a catheter in a pocket under the abdominal skin large enough to hold
the pump. The catheter carries the medication from the pump to the area
surrounding the spinal cord. After placement, the pump is filled with
Baclofen and programmed to deliver the agent at a prescribed rate.
Kristy Roberts, therapy consultant for Medtronic, says
Miller-Dwan is on the cutting edge. "They are
one of only three facilities in the state of
Minnesota that is a Center of Excellence.
Miller-Dwan is a model center, managing patients with severe spasticity for Minnesota, North and South
Dakota, Wisconsin, and upper Michigan. Medtronic looks at
community-based hospitals like Miller-Dwan
for choosing facilities for Centers of
Excellence. "Their patients have such good
clinical outcomes," Roberts said.
"RRCD has excellent neurosurgery, physical and speech therapy."
Evey Kliever, nurse coordinator for RRCD's Spasticity Program witnesses
success stories every day. After receiving the pump, individuals who were
scarcely able to walk 50 feet because of rigid muscles are now capable of
taking part in everyday activities that others take for granted, such as
walking or bowling. She also notices the gain in self-esteem for those
children and adults who gain some control over their bodies.
"They not only provide excellent follow-up with
their patients, they look at the whole person," Roberts said.
For more information about spasticity management, call Miller-Dwan Regional
Rehabilitation Center at (218) 720-1251 or 800-225-RRCD (7723).
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