title: Improved respiratory function and analgesia control after endovascular AAA repair.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair has been proposed as a minimally invasive alternative to conventional surgery and may offer significant advantages in respiratory function and analgesic requirements due to the absence of an abdominal incision.
  
  
  METHODS
  Respiratory function and analgesic requirements were quantified in 22 age-matched patients undergoing aneurysm repair under general anesthesia. Twelve patients underwent endovascular aneurysm repair, while 10 AAA patients had conventional surgery. One endovascular patient required conversion to conventional repair.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The endovascular group required postoperative artificial ventilation for a shorter time (6 versus 21 hours, p < 0.05) and had lower PCA (patient-controlled analgesia) morphine consumption (41 versus 133 mg, p < 0.05) than the conventional group. The endovascular group also had significantly better forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity at both 3 and 5 days when expressed as percentages of the preoperative values (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endovascular AAA repair attenuates respiratory dysfunction associated with conventional surgery and reduces perioperative analgesia requirements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Leicester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Sayers
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000379:methods*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012119:Respiration / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics