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[Chad1973]

I'm a c-6-7 quadriplegic post MVA in 1999. I had the first successful ITB pump implanted in February 2001. I had one prior to that but it had problems as well. It was replaced while I was still under supervision as a patient in our rehab hospital. After a long period of adjustments the dosage was finally right and I had relief from the constant spasms. At this time the only medication in the pump was Baclofen. After a few years pass and everything is going good with the pump my dr. wanted to manage my pain better; basically wanted to cut down on the oral medication that I was on. At that time I was taking oxycontin and I wasn't able to function from the side affects, so it was decided to mix morphine with the Baclofen.
With this cocktail there were no side effects and I started to get my life back together. I got my license back and got a vehicle modified through voc rehab and learned to drive again. After getting used to driving again I enrolled in Cape Fear Community College. I started taking classes for mechanical engineering. I obtained enough knowledge to go to work part time mechanical drafting. I am halfway through to obtain my degree. In August 2007 I was in the office for a pump refill and was presented with a five page report from Medtronic wanting to replace the model that I had due to mechanical problems that caused the pump motor to stall without any warning after the pump had some age. It was also time to change it due to the battery life expectancy, so I was scheduled to have it replaced on October 23 2007.

The following events were recalled by my Fiancé because I have no recollection of the following events that took place.
After surgery on the 23rd we went home and everything seemed fine then some of the underlying symptoms were returning. Christie my fiancé then called the dr. on call that maintains the pump and he called in Baclofen tablets so that I could take it orally to try and keep my spasms under control until I could be seen in his office. By this time it was too late and my body was going into withdrawal. Christie called ems and they came and assessed my situation; they felt I should try and wait until the next day and see the dr that takes care of the pump. By 8:00 pm ems was called again and I was transported to the emergency room of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. By this time my spasms were very bad and I was SEVERELY going through Baclofen withdrawal syndrome, which is very fatal if not treated promptly. The er finally contacted my dr and he told them I was going through Baclofen withdrawal and needed Baclofen immediately. I did not receive any Baclofen at this time and the er kept telling Christie it was the morphine and never mentioned anything about Baclofen to her. They kept giving me drugs to keep me sedated. The er told Christie that no one was available to take a reading to see if the pump was working until 6:30 the next morning. So from 8:00 pm until sometime before 5:00 am I suffered a heart attack from the Baclofen withdrawal. Around 5:00 am I went to have a cat scan then to surgical ICU. Christie got to see me around 7:00 am. That's when she was told I had a heart attack and needed to have a cardiac catheterization done; which is a life threatening procedure in itself, Myself and Christie had to sign consent before the cardiologist would even begin. My normal blood pressure runs around 80/50. during my time of withdrawal my Bp was 140/100 which could have been prevented if the withdrawal was treated promptly and properly. The Cardiologist determined that I suffered left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction. The next chain of events took place after I was admitted to the SICU. It was then determined the pump/catheter that was implanted on the 23rd malfunctioned. The dr's would not allow me to go through another procedure because of the heart attack. The decision was made to place a external Intrathecal lumbar catheter to administer Baclofen through IV as well as p.o. to relieve withdrawal. Over the next few or more days I spiked a fever of 101.8. It was determined that I had contracted bacterial meningitis as well as acute renal failure and hyperkalemia. On 11/08/2007 it was then decided to remove the external catheter and faulty pump. I was also unresponsive at this time. On 11/09/2007 I went into respitory failure and required endotracheal intubation. While I was in a coma state and on a ventilator support, the pump was replaced with local anesthesia on 11/13/07. The following day I was extubated and diagnosed with anemia and received two units of red blood cells. I began recovering and started having hallucinations and lost my mind for about a week and a half. On 11/26/07 the Baclofen/morphine mix was added back into the new pump. This procedure was done by Dr. Wall at his office. On 11/30/07 I was evaluated and admitted to Coastal Rehabilitation Hospital. By this time I was no longer independent with mobility, transfer and activities of daily living skills. I needed acute inpatient rehabilitation along with medical management for respiratory status, infectious status, cardiac status, renal function and retraining in bowel program and neurological status. I was completely discharged on 12/07/2007. Thank you for your time.