[Intrapleural regional analgesia in pain management after chest trauma]

Twelve chest trauma patients with severe pain were studied. All of them had multiple rib fractures, hemopneumothorax or pulmonary contusion, and needed the continuous chest drainage. 16 G epidural block catheter was introduced 20 cm into the apex of the pleural space. Furthermore, another catheter was placed into the base of the pleural space. After injecting 1% lidocaine 10 ml, the analgesic effect, the analgesic range according to injected point (apex or base), and the changes of vital signs, PaO2/FIO2 and PaCO2 were evaluated. The average pain scale before interpleural regional analgesia (IPA) was 2.9 and 1.0 after 15 min. The time to return to pre-IPA condition took about 150 min. The mean blood pressure did not show significant changes, although pulse and respiratory rate decreased. PaCO2 did not show significant changes, although PaO2/FIO2 increased significantly. The present study indicates that IPA in chest trauma reduces pain and improves PaO2/FIO2 significantly without circulatory changes. It was reported that it was difficult to obtain effective pain relief after thoracotomy. However, when the catheter is placed at the apex, it seems to be effective to relief pain on the chest site. In conclusion, IPA seems to be simple, effective and useful to remove pain from chest trauma when epidural block is difficult to induce.