Thoracic paravertebral block after thoracotomy: comparison of three different approaches

Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) is a regional block technique increasingly used for the early management of post-thoracotomy pain. We compare three different postoperative analgesic approaches based on TPVB: anesthetist, anesthetist plus surgeon, and surgeon.

We randomized 54 patients undergoing elective thoracotomy to three different postoperative analgesia groups: paravertebral percutaneous catheter (PVA group), paravertebral percutaneous catheter plus incisional (subcutaneous) catheter (PVA+Inc), and paravertebral catheter under direct vision (PVS group). During early postoperative 48h, we measured pain intensity, intravenous morphine afforded by the patient-controlled analgesia pump, and the spirometric test.

There were no statistically significant differences among the collected preoperative data. No significant differences were observed on postoperative spirometric values. Analgesic quality was better in PVA+Inc group at 12 and 24 postoperative hours. In this group, intravenous morphine use to improve analgesia was significantly lower from 8h until 48h postoperative.

Association of thoracic paravertebral block to continuous infusion of a local anesthetic in the surgical incision area affords a better pain relief than paravertebral block alone (introduced by the surgeon or the anesthetist).