Codman Pumps for Metastatic Liver Cancer Discontinued

On April 25, The New York Times (NYT) reported that Codman pumps, manufactured by Cerenovus, are no longer being produced as of April 1, because of manufacturing issues. These implanted constant-flow infusion pumps were primarily used for intrahepatic chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastasis. In addition, the NYT reports that demand for the Codman pumps was low, at around 300 pumps a year in the US.

Fortunately, there are other ways to deliver possibly life-extending intrahepatic treatment than using a totally implanted pump. Hepatic arterial infusions can be done by using either a hepatic arterial port or a percutaneously placed catheter connected to an external pump.

Both the Codman implanted and external pump approaches have associated potential complications, so appropriate patient selection and comprehensive nursing monitoring and patient education are critical.

Nurses will need to continue to care for patients who have had Codman pumps implanted, be aware that they are no longer being manufactured, and in the future, deliver care to patients with arterial catheters connected to portable external infusion pumps.