Comparison of the On-Q Painbuster Post-Op Pain Relief System to a thoracic epidural for control of postoperative thoracotomy pain in a child.

摘要

Thoracotomies for lung resections are among the most painful procedures that pediatric patients endure. Chest pain, if insufficiently treated, may result in respiratory compromise because of hypoventilation with splinting. Many different interventions are used to provide analgesia postoperatively, including systemic or intrathecal opioids, epidural analgesia, intercostal neural blockade, interpleural infusion of local anesthetic, and paravertebral neural blockade. Adjuncts such as acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, gabapentin, and ketamine have all been used to treat post-thoracotomy pain.