Pain is still severe after single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic (SPVAT) lung wedge resection. We observed the effect of single-injection thoracic paravertebral block (TPB) via the intrathoracic approach for analgesia after SPVAT lung wedge resection.
Sixty patients undergoing SPVAT lung wedge resection were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group. All patients underwent TPB via the intrathoracic approach at the T4 level with a scalp needle before closing the chest. The patients in the observation group received 20 ml 0.375% ropivacaine at the T4 level, and the patients in the control group received 20 ml of 0.9% saline. A patient-controlled intravenous analgesic (PCIA) pump with sufentanil was attached to all patients after surgery. The sufentanil consumption and number of PCIA presses in the first 24 h after surgery were recorded. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores (during rest and coughing) were recorded at 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 36 h after surgery. The incidence of adverse reactions after surgery were recorded.
The sufentanil consumption in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (34.2 ± 1.9 µg vs. 52.3 ± 2.3 µg; P < 0.001). The VAS score at 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery, the incidence of adverse reactions after surgery in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). The number of PCIA presses in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group [0 (0–0) times vs. 3 (2–4) times, P < 0.001].