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Ann Thorac Surg 2000;70:1872-1875
© 2000 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carmel Medical Center, The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
b Departments of Anesthesiology and Community Medicine, Carmel Medical Center, The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
c Department of Epidimiology, Carmel Medical Center, The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Address reprint requests to Dr Bolotin, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carmel Medical Center, 7 Michal St, Haifa, Israel
e-mail: bolotin{at}netvision.net.il
Presented at the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Jan 31–Feb 2, 2000.
Background. Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is widely used for many thoracic surgical procedures. Postoperative pain is less after VATS than after conventional thoracic surgery, but is still significant. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of thoracoscopic, internal intercostal nerve block in alleviating immediate postoperative pain.
Methods. Thirty-two patients underwent VATS bilateral sympathectomy for the treatment of hyperhidrosis. The patients were randomly divided into two groups with similar demographic and preoperative physiologic parameters. Group A (n = 16) was submitted to thoracoscopic, internal intercostal nerve blocks performed at T2, T3, and T4 intercostal levels using 3 cc of 0.5% bupivacain in each intercostal space. The injections were performed bilaterally, immediately after the sympathectomy, through the same port. Group B (n = 16) underwent bilateral thoracic sympathectomy without the block. During the immediate postoperative period, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, pain score, and analgesic requirements were monitored every 30 minutes.
Results. No morbidity was recorded in association with the thoracoscopic, internal intercostal nerve block. The mean heart rates (77 ± 6 vs 89 ± 12 beats per minute, p < 0.001), respiratory rates (15 ± 2 vs 18 ± 3 respirations per minute, p < 0.01), pain score (1.9 ± 0.6 vs 2.7 ± 0.5, p < 0.01), and postoperative analgesic requirements (20 ± 18 vs 50 ± 21 mg pethidine HCL, p < 0.001) were significantly lower in group A. There was no significant difference in blood pressures.
Conclusions. Thoracoscopic, internal intercostal nerve block with bupivacain 0.5% during VATS is safe and effectively reduced the immediate postoperative pain and analgesic requirements.
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