Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block Versus Thoracic Epidural Analgesia: Postoperative Pain Management After Nuss Repair for Pectus Excavatum

Postoperative pain management is a significant challenge in patients undergoing Nuss repair for pectus excavatum chest wall deformity [1,2]. Therapeutic anesthetic options have included patient-controlled analgesia, thoracic epidural analgesia, paravertebral nerve block, subcutaneous catheter anesthetic infusion, and cryoanalgesia [3 –16]. In many centers, thoracic epidural analgesia or cryoanalgesia have been the preferred techniques for postoperative pain relief [6,8,14-17]. However, thoracic epidural analgesia is confined to in-patient usage, carries the risk of rare catastrophic neurologic injury [19], often requires Foley catheter placement, and may lead to longer hospital stays due to difficulty in transitioning from epidural analgesia treatment.
Source: Journal of Pediatric Surgery - Category: Surgery Authors: Source Type: research