Anaesthesia
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Comparative Study
Propensity score-matched outcomes after thoracic epidural or paravertebral analgesia for thoracotomy.
It is not known which regional analgesic technique is most effective or safest after open lung resection. We retrospectively examined outcomes in 828 patients who received thoracic epidural analgesia and 791 patients who received paravertebral block after lung resection between 2008 and 2012. We analysed outcomes for 648 patients, 324 who had each analgesic technique, matched by propensity scores generated with peri-operative data. ⋯ There was no significant difference in median (IQR [range]) hospital stay after thoracic epidural or paravertebral block, 6 (5-9 [2-94]) days vs. 6 (5-9 [2-122]), respectively, p = 0.83. Our study suggests that rates of complications as well as length of hospital stay after thoracic epidural analgesia and paravertebral blockade are similar. We were unable to compare analgesic efficacy due to incomplete data.