Postoperative Continuous Wound Infusion Of Ropivacaine Has Comparable Analgesic Effects And Fewer Complications As Compared To Traditional Patient-Controlled Analgesia With Sufentanil In Patients Undergoing Non-Cardiac Thoracotomy

Objective: To compare the postoperative analgesic effects of continuous wound infusion of ropivacaine with traditional patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with sufentanil after non-cardiac thoracotomy. Methods: One hundred and twenty adult patients undergoing open thoracotomy were recruited into this assessor-blinded, randomized study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive analgesia through a wound catheter placed below the fascia and connected to a 2 ml/h ropivacaine 0.5% (RWI group) or sufentanil PCA (SPCA group). Analgesia continued for 48 h. Visual analogue scores (VAS) at rest and movement, Ramsay scores and adverse effects were recorded at 2, 8, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h after surgery. Three months after discharge, patient's satisfaction, residual pain and surgical wound complications were assessed. Results: General characteristics of patients were comparable between two groups. There were no statistical differences in the VAS scores and postoperative pethidine consumption between two groups (P > 0.05). However, when compared with SPCA group, the incidences of drowsiness, dizziness and respiratory depression, ICU stay and hospital expenditure reduced significantly in RWI group (P < 0.05). Patients' satisfaction with pain management was also improved markedly in RWI group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Continuous wound infusion with ropivacaine is effective for postoperative analgesia and has comparable effects to traditional PCA with sufentanil. Furthermore, this therapy may also reduce the incidences of drowsiness, dizziness, respiratory depression and decrease the ICU stay and hospital expenditure.