Improved intercostal nerve block with ropivacaine in video-assisted thoracic surgery / 中国肿瘤临床

ABSTRACT

To compare two methods of injecting ropivacaine as an intercostal nerve blocker, and for postoperative pain control after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in lung cancer patients. Methods: From August 2018 to November 2018, 60 patients who had undergone VATS with a diagnosis of lung cancer, were randomly assigned into two groups control and test. After the surgery, the control group was injected with an intercostal nerve blocker (0.25% ropivacaine) via the inner thorax by the traditional method, and the test group was injected with ropivacaine via the outer thorax by an improved method. The pain scale was evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Prince Henry Pain Scale (PHPS) at 12 h (T1), 24 h (T2), 48 h (T3), and 72 h (T4) after the surgery. The dosage of administered morphine and the adverse effects of ropivacaine after surgery were also evaluated. Results: Injecting ropivacaine to the intercostal nerve by means of both, outer and inner thoracic injection showed satisfied analgesia, as evaluated by VAS and PHPS scores, and there were no significant differences between the two methods at any time point of analysis (T1-T4, P>0.05). The dosage of administered morphine and the time with chest tube were similar (P>0.05) between the groups. However, there were a few cases of subpleural hemorrhage in the test group. Conclusions: Intercostal nerve block with ropivacaine by means of both, outer and inner thoracic injection, showed satisfied analgesia, although, outer thoracic injection is more flexible with fewer complications.