Intrapleural Ropivacaine Infusion in Cardiac Surgery

Plain-language summary

For many patients, a primary source of postoperative pain following cardiac surgery is the presence of pleural drains, which the surgeon places at the end of the operation and maintains for 1 to 3 days. One promising method of pain management after cardiac surgery is interpleural analgesia, particularly when traditional analgesic methods, such as systemic opioids or epidural anesthesia, may be limited due to the risk of complications. Interpleural analgesia involves the introduction of local anesthetics directly into the pleural cavity through drainage tubes placed after cardiac surgery. This method targets pain receptors in the chest area, providing effective analgesia without significant systemic effects. Several clinical studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of intrapleural administration of anesthetics after thoracic surgery. The aim of this randomised double-blind placebo controlled study is to test the hypothesis that, in patients after cardiac surgery, the quality of recovery from anesthesia with intrapleural use of ropivacaine is superior to that with a placebo.

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