Epidural analgesia is considered by many to be the reference standard which has been shown to reduce the intraoperative surgical stress response. However, besides its excellent analgesic effect, there are some disadvantages associated with epidural analgesia. This includes the risk of epidural hematoma/abscess ,failure rates hypotension, urinary retention. Also the need for preoperative placement in awake patients, who seem to dislike and sometimes even refuse. It is contra-indicated in the presence of coagulopathy or local sepsis. ESPB is a faster procedure that carries a lower risk of hypotension, can be used in patients with coagulopathy, easy to perform, and requires less training. So this study is to compare the postoperative analgesic effect of continous bupivacaine infusion via thoracic epidural versus erector spinae catheters following upper abdominal cancer surgery.
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pain intensity measured by 11 points Visual Analogue Scale
Timeframe: immediately postoperative for 48 hours after surgery.