Effect of Thoracic Epidural Analgesia for Thoracotomy on the Occurrence of AF

Larissa University Hospital

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Thoracic Epidural Analgesia; Atrial Fibrillation; Posterolateral Thoracotomy; Lung Resection; Sympathetic Outflow

Treatments: Other: TEA followed by Intravenous morphine; Other: Thoracic Epidural Analgesia (TEA)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01718717

TEA and AF

Details and patient eligibility

About

Thoracic epidural anesthesia and analgesia for patients undergoing lung resection can reduce the occurrence of AF if it is continued for six postoperative days instead of just three.

Full description

THEA is considered a very effective technique of providing intra and post-operative analgesia for thoracic surgical procedure and it seems that can also be effective in reducing the incidence of postoperative AF in patients undergoing lung resection. Nevertheless the timing of stopping the epidural analgesia and its further substitution with other therapies, remains unclear.

In this study patients who are scheduled for lung resection surgery will undergo the surgery under combined general anesthesia with volatile anesthetics and thoracic epidural anesthesia.

Immediately after surgery the patients will be divided into two groups:

• those who will receive thoracic epidural analgesia for 6 days
• those who will receive thoracic epidural analgesia for 3 days and will then switch to intravenous morphine for another 3 days

All the patients will be monitored daily for arrythmias

Enrollment: 50 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• lung resection
• pneumonectomy

Exclusion criteria

• Patient refusal
• AF (present or in the past
• contraindications for epidural catheter placement

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

6 days TEA

Active Comparator group

Description:

Postoperative analgesia for the first six postoperative days with TEA and daily monitoring for arrhythmia

Treatment:

Other: Thoracic Epidural Analgesia (TEA)

3 days TEA and 3 days intravenous morphine

Active Comparator group

Description:

Postoperative analgesia for the first three postoperative days with TEA followed for the next three days with intravenous morphine, and daily monitoring for arrhythmia

Treatment:

Other: TEA followed by Intravenous morphine