Extrapleural catheters: an effective alternative for treating postoperative pain for thoracic surgical patients.
Pain control is an important aspect of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) procedures. Offering an effective and low-risk method of postoperative pain control is thus vital to a patient's recovery. Hotta and colleagues report the results of a clinical study comparing efficacy of epidurals vs extrapleural catheters in VATS procedures. They found that extrapleural catheters provided equivalent postoperative pain relief when compared to thoracic epidural catheters.
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. jacob.hutchins@gmail.com
Jacob
J
Hutchins
Robby
R
Sikka
Richard C
RC
Prielipp
D015360:Analgesia, Epidural / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002045:Bupivacaine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D006801:Humans; D060186:Infusions, Spinal; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000009:adverse effects
D000700:Analgesics; D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D002045:Bupivacaine