• Alessandra Di Pede, Francesco Morini, Mary H Lombardi, Stefania Sgrò, Raoul Laviani, Andrea Dotta, and Sergio G Picardo.
• Department of Medical and Surgical Neonatology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
• Paediatr Anaesth. 2014 Jun 1;24(6):569-73.

BackgroundIn infants, post-thoracotomy analgesia traditionally consists of systemic opiates, while regional techniques have gained more favor in recent years. We compare the two techniques for thoracotomy in infants.MethodsAll consecutive patients below 6 months of age who underwent thoracotomy for congenital pulmonary malformations in the study period were retrospectively divided according to the chosen postoperative analgesia: Group S systemic opiates, Group R continuous regional (epidural or extrapleural paravertebral) block. We studied the following outcomes: need for NICU and mechanical ventilation, pain score, requirement for additional analgesics, heart rate 1 h postsurgery, time to pass first stool and to full feed, complications, and duration of hospitalization.ResultsForty consecutive patients were included, 19 in Group S and 21 in Group R. Median age at surgery was 89 days (40-110) and 90 days (46-117), respectively. Five of 19 patients in Group S vs none in Group R required postoperative intensive care (P = 0.017). Patients in Group R had significantly lower postoperative heart rate (145 [138-150] vs. 160 [152-169] b·min(-1) , P = 0.007), earlier passage of first stools (24 h [12-24] vs. 36 h [24-48] P = 0.004), and earlier time to full feed (36 h [24-48] vs. 84 h [60-120] P = 0.0001) than those in Group S. The only observed complication was one catheter dislocation.ConclusionIn infants undergoing thoracotomy, loco-regional analgesia is effective and associated with a reduced intensity of postoperative care and earlier full feeding than systemic analgesia; it should therefore be considered a better option.© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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