ISSN: 2657-7941
Archives of Medical Science - Aging
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1/2019
vol. 2
 
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abstract:
Clinical research

Postoperative patient-controlled epidural or intravenous pain treatment after one-stage unilateral hybrid atrial fibrillation ablation surgery?

Vincent Jean Umbrain
1
,
Stefan Beckers
1
,
Gian Battista Chierchia
2
,
Carlo de Asmundis
2
,
Elisabeth De Waele
3
,
Marc Diltoer
3
,
Mark La Meir
4

1.
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
2.
Heart Rhythm Management Centre, UZ Brussel. Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
3.
Department of Intensive Care, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
4.
Department of Cardiac Surgery, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Arch Med Sci Aging 2019; 2: e1–e9
Online publish date: 2019/11/26
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Introduction
Finding the best pain treatment approach after one-stage hybrid AF ablation surgery is difficult as cardiac, thoracic and diaphragmatic nerve endings are sensitized. We hypothesized that patient-controlled postoperative epidural pain treatment with high thoracic (T4) epidural ropivacaine (EA) would provide superior pain relief when compared with an intravenous patient-controlled piritramide pump (IA).

Material and methods
This prospective study in 69 consecutive patients compared postoperative pain report, pain location and breathing mode. A standardized combined anesthesia method with inotropic support (if requested) was used during surgery. The simultaneous thoracoscopic and endovascular ablation surgery consisted of a stepwise ablation protocol. EA consisted of ropivacaine 2 mg/ml set at 4 ml/h with a patient-controlled EA regimen of: 2 ml/30 min. The IA group received a PCA regimen of 2 mg of piritramide every 7 min with 30 mg/4 h maximal dose. Parameters assessed after surgery were pain with VAS scores, pain locations, breathing frequency and mode, sleep, duration of drain and hospital stay. To ease pain patients also received: paracetamol, diclofenac (when possible), morphine, colchicine and aspirin (pericarditis suspicion).

Results
Fifty patients with refractory AF were recruited. Similar peak dynamic pain scores and referred pain localizations, but lesser initial respiratory comfort and sleep recuperation and a tendency to more PONV were observed in IA patients. Postoperative suspected ablation pericarditis incidence was high.

Conclusions
Both postoperative EA or IA pain treatments are valuable options yielding no differences in pain report after surgery. But EA may initially improve the patient’s respiratory ease.

keywords:

epidural anesthesia, opioids, radiofrequency catheter ablation, hybrid procedure, pain after surgery, persistent atrial fibrillation

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