Efficacy of Patient Controlled Epidural Anesthesia Versus Continuous Epidural Analgesia for Post-thoracotomy Pain

Acute Post-thoracotomy Pain Clinical Trial

Official title: Efficacy of Patient Controlled Epidural Anesthesia (PCEA) Versus Continuous Epidural Analgesia (CEA) for Post-thoracotomy Pain.

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Postoperative thoracotomy pain is normally managed with an epidural catheter and continuous epidural analgesia (CEA). However, for some surgical procedures, patient controlled epidural anesthesia (PCEA) is more effective but little research has compared the two methods following thoracotomy. The current randomized, prospective clinical investigation did just this. Following institutional ethics approval 47 patients scheduled for thoracotomy were recruited for this prospective, randomized, unblinded study. A thoracic epidural catheter was sited preoperatively. Postoperatively patients were randomized to receive epidural infusions (hydromorphone 10 mcg/mL + bupivacaine 1 mg/mL) for 48 hours postoperatively via PCEA (n= 24) or CEA (n=23). CEA infusion rates were titrated to achieve pain scores ≤ 3 out of 10 (numeric rating scale (NRS)) in the recovery room. PCEA parameters were adjusted to allow an equivalent dose per hour. The primary outcome was consumption of local anaesthetic/opioid. The secondary outcomes were worst pain and pain while coughing (0-10 NRS).

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Acute Post-thoracotomy Pain

• NCT number: NCT01560429
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Queen's University
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Start date: June 2009
• Completion date: July 2010