Out-of-plane ultrasound-guided paravertebral blocks improve analgesic outcomes in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Paravertebral blocks (PVBs) are a method of limiting postoperative pain for patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). We began providing ultrasound-guided PVBs for patients undergoing VATS in the spring of 2011, using an out-of-plane approach. The aim of this study was to eval...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Local and regional anesthesia 2015-01, Vol.8 (Issue 1), p.123-128
Main Authors: Amlong, Corey, Guy, Moltu, Schroeder, Kristopher M, Donnelly, Melanie J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analgesics
Analysis
Anesthesia
Anesthesiology
Electronic health records
Health aspects
Hospitals
Keywords: nerve blocks
Medical records
Narcotics
Nursing
Original Research
Ostomy
Pain
Patients
Surgery
Thoracic surgery
Thoracoscopy
Ultrasonic imaging
Ultrasound imaging
video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
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Summary:Paravertebral blocks (PVBs) are a method of limiting postoperative pain for patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). We began providing ultrasound-guided PVBs for patients undergoing VATS in the spring of 2011, using an out-of-plane approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate this practice change. Following institutional review board approval, we reviewed the charts of 114 patients undergoing VATS by one surgeon at our institution between January 2011 and July 2012. Of the 78 eligible patients, 49 patients received a PVB prior to surgery. We evaluated opioids administered in the perioperative period, pain scores, and side effects from pain medications. Patients who received a preoperative PVB required fewer narcotics intraoperatively and during their hospital stay (P=0.001 and 0.011, respectively). Pain scores on initial assessment and in recovery were lower in patients who received a PVB (P=0.005), as were dynamic and resting pain scores at 24 hours after surgery (P=0.003 and P
ISSN:1178-7112
1178-7112
DOI:10.2147/LRA.S86853