The pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine in elderly patients undergoing nerve stimulator-guided thoracic paravertebral block.

摘要

Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) can offer several clinical advantages for anesthesia and analgesia in thoracotomy.1 Here we describe the pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine after nerve stimulator-guided TPVB in elderly patients undergoing thoracotomy.The study protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all 11 enrolled patients. They received a single-bolus thoracic paravertebral injection of 0.5% ropivacaine (AstraZeneca, Sodertalje, Sweden), 2 mg/kg, without epinephrine, 30 minutes before general anesthesia.