by Annette Pinder
What is Infusion Therapy?
Infusion therapy is a process where medication is provided to a person through a needle or catheter when a patient’s condition is so severe that it cannot be treated effectively by oral medications. Sometimes drugs are administered intravenously, but they can also be administered through intramuscular injections or through epidural injection into the membranes surrounding the spinal cord.
Therapies often provided through infusion can include antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, chemotherapy, hydration, pain management and nutrition. It is also used for treating chronic and sometimes rare diseases. Many therapies have been available for years, while others are newer such as corticosteroids, some heart medications, growth hormones, and many others.
What diseases are treated with infusion therapy?
Diseases that may require infusion therapy include infections that are unresponsive to oral antibiotics, cancer and cancer-related pain, dehydration, gastrointestinal diseases or disorders which prevent normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system, and more. Other conditions may include cancers, congestive heart failure, Crohn’s Disease, hemophilia, immune deficiencies, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. The most common home infusion therapies are intravenous antibiotics for cellulitis, sepsis, and osteomyelitis, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sinusitis and more.
What is specialty infusion therapy?
“Specialty infusion therapy” is a term that reflects highly specialized services and a level of care that an infusion pharmacy can provide. Here in Buffalo the DeGraff Memorial Hospital Infusion Center provides a comfortable setting for administering intravenous medications, blood, fluids, and other infusion therapies to outpatients. Registered nurses administer and monitor your infusion requirements with direction from physician providers.
DeGraff Infusion Center has achieved excellent outcomes because of the professional staff of registered nurses and pharmacists that are specifically trained to administer infusion therapy and care. Common infusions at the center include blood transfusions, biological treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, crohn’s disease, gout, iron replacement therapy, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, plaque psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis. However, the center is equipped to accommodate other needs and conditions
What is really important is recognizing that home and alternate-site infusion therapy is much more than just the dispensing of drugs. Managing infusion drug therapies requires specialized expertise, clinical and supportive services, and specialized facilities that are all now available at DeGraff’s fully accredited Infusion Center.
A significant benefit of the center is that it provides patients with immediate access to all of the ancillary services available at DeGraff, including laboratory, imaging, diagnostic, emergency room and cardio pulmonary. And for those accompanying patients receiving therapy, there is a wonderful café and gift shop right on the premises that they can enjoy while waiting.
WNY Resource:
DeGraff Memorial Hospital
445 Tremont Street
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
716-690-2259
http://degraff.kaleidahealth.org
