What is a PCA pump?
PCA stands for patient-controlled analgesia. With a PCA pump, your child can receive a continuous dosage of narcotic medication through an IV, or an intermittent dosage, or both. With intermittent dosages, your child decides when he/she feels bad and pushes a button that administers a dosage of pain medication. For example, your child may come back from surgery with a PCA pump that has been programmed to give pain medication at a continuous dosage every hour. The pump can also be programmed for your child to give additional amounts of medication when he/she needs it, by pushing a button. The dosage is determined by your child’s physician, and your child cannot give him/herself too much. The day after surgery, your child’s surgeon may discontinue the continuous infusion, and then only intermittent dosages will be given when the button is pushed. The pump settings can only be adjusted by your child’s healthcare team with a special key. Children as young as 4 years old have been shown to
