Cryoanalgesia of intercostals nerves for relieving postthoracotomy pain and stress reaction / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the clinical significance of cryoanalgesia of intercostals nerves for relieving the chest pain and the stress after thoracotomy. Methods 166 patients undergone post-lateral thoracotomy were enrolled for study, including 107 cases of cryoanalgesia of intercostals nerves as cryo-group and 59 cases of non-cryoanalgesia as control group. The patients who had exploratory thoracotomy were excluded. The visual analogue scales (VAS), dosage of dolantin as well as the plasma levels of cortisol and ?-endorphin, and the complications after operation between the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results After operation, the VAS of cryo-group was much lower than that of control group for 7 days, so did the dosage of dolantin during the first 3 days. The complications in the control group were much more than that in the cryo-group who had lower levels of cortisol and ?-endorphin in plasma. Conclusion Cryoanalgesia of intercostals nerves was proved to be a simple, inexpensive, safe form for relieving post-thoracotomy pain. It could not only dramatically relieve the pain and stress level, but also reduce the risk of complications especially in elderly patients.