ArticleSaudi journal of anaesthesia
Efficacy of epidural anesthesia in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
Article in Saudi journal of anaesthesia. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07259824 (Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block in Perioperative Pain Management in Patients Undergoing Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block in Perioperative Pain Management in Patients Undergoing Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Improving postoperative pain management after minimally invasive coronary surgery using methadone analgesia and early chest drain removal.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: The most commonly performed minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) is lateral minithoracotomy, which requires one of the most painful incisions. Adequate postoperative pain management is essential for cardiac surgery to prevent perioperative complications. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) is the gold standard for thoracotomy; however, it is still controversial because of the risk of epidural hematoma following systematic heparinization. The objective of our study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of TEA following MICS. Methods: The clinical data of patients aged over 18 years who underwent elective MICS and received epidural analgesia along with general anesthesia between January 2014 and March 2019 were reviewed. Data were collected, including patient demographics, operative data, postoperative pain, postoperative course, and complications. Chronic pain was evaluated 6 months after discharge, and we defined it as a NRS score ≧3. Postoperative complications included epidural-related complications. Results: Seventy patients were included in the analysis. The mean NRS score was below 2. We collected chronic pain data from 52 patients and found that 11 patients had chronic pain. TEA-related complications were not observed. Conclusion: The current observational study revealed that TEA following lateral thoracotomy was effective for acute pain as well as chronic pain without causing any severe epidural-related complications. Protocols to prevent potential devastating complications, including epidural hematoma, should follow the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine recommendation. If the rules are strictly followed, TEA can be a safe and effective pain management method for patients who undergo MICS.
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