Annals of palliative medicine
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Recently, robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) is increasingly applied to lung or mediastinal tumor surgery. However, appropriate methods of postoperative analgesia for RATS have not been studied. ⋯ Compared with PCA, TEA provided better analgesia after RATS in terms of less pain scores, less rescue analgesic requirements, and similar side effect profiles. TEA with a hydrophilic opioid and local anesthetic seemed an appropriate method of postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing RATS.
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Despite the clear benefits of palliative care, surgical patients are less likely to receive palliative care consultations when compared to their medical counterparts. In this context, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a diverse range of practicing surgeons to better understand surgeon attitudes and experiences with both palliative care approaches and specialty services. ⋯ Among our cohort of surgeons, several key factors influenced their use of palliative approaches and specialty palliative care services. A better understanding of surgeon-perceived barriers may lead to future work aimed at creating meaningful, surgeon-specific interventions that address the underuse of this important care for surgical patients and patients being considered for surgery.