The Surgical clinics of North America
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Pain is one of the most important considerations in the care of thoracic surgical patients. Failure in pain management is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Acute pain management aspires to stop the painful stimuli before it is transferred to the CNS. ⋯ Chronic pain can be treated in many ways, and input from a pain clinic might be beneficial. The single best approach to chronic pain is to prevent it. This can be achieved by selecting the right incisional approach, instituting early physical therapy, and achieving optimal postoperative pain control.
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The management of pleural effusions and, in particular, recurrent MPE require an accurate assessment of the characteristics of the pleural fluid and the relief of the patient's symptoms. Although a common problem, treatment of pleural effusions and MPE is highly variable. Selection of optimal treatment for the individual patient (or population of patients) requires a careful assessment of the benefits and associated risks of the therapy. ⋯ Because patients with MPE have limited life expectancy, efforts to palliate or eliminate dyspnea, optimize function, eliminate hospitalization, and reduce excessive end-of-life medical care costs may be best achieved with a chronic indwelling pleural catheter. The need for expensive supplies may temper the use of such outpatient management. Alternative techniques of tube thoracostomy, drainage, and sclerosis or thoracoscopy with drainage and talc poudrage also have benefits but are associated with variable hospitalization and increased medical costs.