Paravertebral Block versus Thoracic Epidural Analgesia for Postthoracotomy Pain Relief: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Peripheral nerve block and cognitive impairment after thoracic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Postoperative cognitive impairment is common in surgical patients, including postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. Several studies investigating the association between peripheral nerve block and the risk of cognitive impairment after thoracic surgery showed conflicting results. Therefore, we conducted the current systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effects of peripheral nerve block on postoperative cognitive impairment in thoracic surgical patients.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Eligible randomized controlled trials were retrieved from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Embase databases. The primary outcomes were the incidence of postoperative delirium or cognitive dysfunction and the MMSE scores. Furthermore, VAS scores, levels of TNF-α and IL-6, as well as the duration of hospitalization were analyzed as secondary outcomes.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Ten articles including 1279 participants were selected for this meta-analysis. The results showed that peripheral nerve block could lessen the incidence of postoperative delirium or cognitive dysfunction (OR=0.39, 95% CI [0.27 to 0.56]), the scores of VAS (MD=-1.35 [95% CI: -2.30 to -0.40]), the values of TNF-α (SMD=-1.13 [95% CI: -1.49 to -0.76]) and IL-6 (SMD=-1.65 [95% CI: -1.87 to -1.42]), as well as the length of hospitalization (MD=-0.70 [95% CI: -0.96 to -0.43]). In addition, peripheral nerve block was linked to a significant increase in MMSE scores (MD=2.16 [95% CI: 1.40 to 2.91]).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis revealed positive effects of peripheral nerve block on improving postoperative cognitive impairment in patients following thoracic surgery.

The Year in Thoracic Anesthesia: Selected Highlights from 2022

This article reviews research highlights in the field of thoracic anesthesia. The highlights of this year included new developments in the preoperative assessment and prehabilitation of patients requiring thoracic surgery, updates on the use of devices for one-lung ventilation (OLV) in adults and children, updates on the anesthetic and postoperative management of these patients, including protective OLV ventilation, the use of opioid-sparing techniques and regional anesthesia, and outcomes using enhanced recovery after surgery, as well as the use of expanding indications for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, specialized anesthetic techniques for airway surgery, and nonintubated video-assisted thoracic surgery.

Effects of Different Doses of Dexmedetomidine Combined with Thoracic Paravertebral Nerve Block Anesthesia on Agitation and Hemodynamics in Patients Undergoing Thoracotomy during Recovery

Objective

To investigate the effect of different doses of dexmedetomidine combined with thoracic paravertebral nerve block anesthesia on agitation and hemodynamics in patients undergoing thoracotomy during recovery.

Methods

One hundred patients who underwent thoracotomy in our hospital from August 2018 to April 2021 were enrolled and assigned (1 : 1 : 1 : 1) into 4 groups via the random number table method. The patients in the control group were treated with double-lumen tube general anesthesia + ropivacaine for thoracic paravertebral nerve block anesthesia; patients in experimental group A received double-lumen general anesthesia +0.5 μg·kg^-1 dexmedetomidine + ropivacaine for thoracic paravertebral nerve block anesthesia; patients in experimental group B received thoracic paravertebral nerve block anesthesia with double-lumen general anesthesia +1.0 μg·kg^-1 dexmedetomidine + ropivacaine; patients in experimental group C received thoracic paravertebral nerve block anesthesia with double-lumen general anesthesia +1.5 μg·kg^-1 dexmedetomidine + ropivacaine. The postoperative recovery time and visual analog scale (VAS), level of hemodynamics (heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP)), agitation during the recovery period, and complications were compared amongst the 4 groups of patients at different time points.

Results

The postoperative VAS scores of patients in groups B2 and B3 were slightly lower than those of patients in groups A and B1, but a one-way analysis of variance revealed no statistical difference in the postoperative recovery time and VAS pain scores of the four groups (P > 0.05), and the recovery time of patients in experimental group C was slightly higher than that of patients in group B2. At T0 and T1, there was no significant difference in the levels of HR and MAP among the four groups (P > 0.05). The levels of HR and MAP of the patients in groups B2 and B3 were significantly different from the patients in the control group and experimental group A at T2 and T3 (P < 0.05). The patients in experimental group B and experimental group C showed better outcomes than those in the control group and experimental group A in the assessment of agitation during the recovery period (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications among the four groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

In line with the principle of preference for a small anesthesia dose, 1.0 μg·kg^-1 dose of dexmedetomidine combined with ropivacaine produces a pronounced efficacy in patients undergoing thoracotomy. It effectively controls the occurrence of agitation during the recovery period and maintains the stability of the patient's hemodynamics, with a high clinical safety profile.