Constrained fluid delivery device

1. A method of post-surgical pain relief to tissues adjacent a surgical wound, the method comprising:

performing a surgical procedure creating a surgical wound;

providing a catheter assembly comprising:

an elongated catheter having a proximal supply end extendable outwardly from a patient, a distal delivery end and an external wall defining an internal lumen extending from the proximal supply end to the distal delivery end, the distal delivery end including at least one opening communicating from the internal lumen to an environment surrounding the elongated catheter, the distal delivery end having a width dimension; and

a delivery member in fluid communication with the at least one opening, the delivery member having a generally planar configuration with a length dimension, a width dimension perpendicular to the length dimension, and a depth dimension perpendicular to the length dimension and the width dimension, the length and width dimensions being greater than the depth dimension, the width dimension of the delivery member being greater than the width dimension of the distal delivery end of the elongated catheter, the delivery member having at least a first porous surface and a second non-porous surface, wherein the first porous surface and the second non-porous surface are opposite one another;

placing the delivery member of the catheter assembly adjacent the surgical wound with the first porous surface of the delivery member adjacent the tissues to be treated for post-surgical pain, and with the second non-porous surface facing nerves adjacent the surgical wound; and

passing pain relieving medication through the elongated catheter, through the at least one opening, and through the first porous surface to diffuse the pain relieving medication over an area of the tissues to be treated while the pain relieving medication is blocked from passing through the second non-porous surface so as to provide post-surgical pain relief in a constrained configuration to tissues adjacent the surgical wound while preventing diffusion of the medication over a given area of diffusion to the nerves adjacent the surgical wound.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising positioning a drain in the surgical wound,

applying suction to the drain, and

withdrawing fluids from the surgical wound.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

positioning a sensor in the wound;

sensing a wound parameter; and

controlling the flow of pain relieving medication to the wound in response to the sensed parameter.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising separating the delivery member from the catheter and closing the wound with the delivery member implanted within the patient.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the drain is separated from the first porous surface by the second non-porous surface.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the surgical procedure is a posterior spinal surgical procedure and the tissues to be treated are tissues of the patient's back.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery member is bioresorbable.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery member is a sponge.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery member comprises a fibrous structure.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the surgical wound comprises a surgical wound of a spinal surgical procedure, the nerves are spinal nerves, the tissues to be treated for post-surgical pain are tissues opposite the spinal nerves, the non-porous surface is oriented toward the spinal nerves and the porous surface is oriented toward the tissues to be treated for post-surgical pain.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein positioning the drain in the surgical wound includes positioning the delivery member between the drain and the nerves.