Thoracic surgery is known to cause severe pain that may not subside during the course of hospitalization. Early pain control is important in these patients because it improves ventilation and promotes mobility. Lung transplant recipients can experience post-operative complications that lead to extended hospital stays. This increases the time a patient is sedentary, which further deconditions patients;therefore, rehabilitation should be initiated early post-operatively. We present a unique case of a critically ill double lung transplant recipient whose rehabilitation post-operatively was hindered by severe vasopressor-induced ischemic pain. Due to debilitating pain, he was unable to regain mobility. His pain management course was challenging due to sensitivity to opioids, renal failure, and anticoagulation.
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