Thoracotomy: Intercostal Nerve Block Versus Epidural Anesthesia

University of Ulm

Status: Completed

Conditions: Thoracotomy

Treatments: Procedure: intercostal anesthesia; Procedure: epidural anesthesia

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01076894

EDA-ICB 198/06

Details and patient eligibility

About

Postoperative pain and consecutive reduction of pulmonary function after thoracic surgery still is a major clinical problem and challenge in anesthesia. Thoracic epidural anesthesia is commonly considered to be the "gold standard" for postoperative pain control and restoration of pulmonary function after thoracic surgery.

Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate whether an intercostal nerve block with ropivacaine plus intravenous PCA with morphine is as effective as thoracic epidural anesthesia with respect to postoperative pain control and pulmonary

Enrollment: 83 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• patients undergoing elective pulmonary surgery, including pneumonectomy, bilobectomy, lobectomy, typical and atypical segmentectomy, via a lateral or posterolateral thoracotomy without chest-wall resection

Exclusion criteria

• age<18 yr
• any contraindication to epidural anaesthesia, intercostal nerve block or the use of ropivacaine, morphine, metamizol or diclofenac
• lack of patient's cooperation
• any type of chronic painful condition or current opioid use

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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83 participants in 2 patient groups

epidural anesthesia

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Procedure: epidural anesthesia

intercostal anesthesia

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Procedure: intercostal anesthesia