Intercostal nerve block for postoperative somatic pain following surgery of thorax and upper abdomen.
From 1948 to 1973, intercostal nerve block was used 10,941 times or a total of approximately 100,000 individual nerves were blocked. Junior staff (residents) performed 95% of the blocks. The local anaesthetic solution of choice used 0.25 or 0.5% bupivacaine (Marcaine) with adrenaline. Total milligram doses of bupivacaine as high as 400 mg were employed. The duration of the blocks was 9-18 hr. No severe systemic toxic reactions occurred, e.g. disorientation, convulsions, etc. The incidence of pneumothorax was 0.073%.
D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000009:adverse effects; D002045:Bupivacaine; D004837:Epinephrine; D006801:Humans; D007367:Intercostal Nerves; D009294:Narcotics / Q000009:adverse effects; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000009:adverse effects; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology; D013900:Thoracic Nerves; D013903:Thoracic Surgery; D013909:Thorax / Q000601:surgery
D009294:Narcotics; D002045:Bupivacaine; D004837:Epinephrine