Scandinavian Journal of Pain
Volume 1, Issue 1 , Pages 3-4 , January 2010

Pain relief with paravertebral blocks or epidural analgesia? Those who do not know the history of paravertebral blocks are condemned to rediscover the complications

  • Harald Breivik

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital, 0027 Oslo, Norway
    • University of Oslo, Medical Faculty, Oslo, Norway
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: University of Oslo, Medical Faculty, Oslo, Norway. Tel.: +47 23070000; fax: +47 23073690.

References 

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  2. Norum HM, Breivik H. A systematic review of comparative studies indicates that paravertebral block is not superior nor safer than epidural analgesia for pain after thoracotomy. Scand J Pain. 2010;1:12–23
  3. Breivik H, Niemi G, Haugtomt H, Högström H. Optimal epidural analgesia: importance of drug combinations and correct segmental site of injection. In:  Breivik H editors. Post-operative pain management. Baillier's clinical anaesthesiology international practice and research. vol. 9:1995;p. 493–512
  4. Niemi G, Breivik H. Minimally effective concentration of adrenaline in a low-concentration thoracic epidural analgesic infusion of bupivacaine, fentanyl and adrenaline after major surgery. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2003;47:439–450
  5. Niemi G. Optimizing postoperative epidural analgesia. Doctoral thesis submitted to Faculty of Medicine University of Oslo, Oslo, Series of dissertations submitted to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo No. 219, Unipub AS, Oslo 2004.
  6. Richardson J, Sabanathan S, Jones J, Shah RD, Cheema S, Merans AJ. A prospective, randomized comparison of preoperative and continuous balanced epidural or paravertebral bupivacaine on post-thoracotomy pain, pulmonary function and stress responses. Br J Anaesth. 1999;83:387–392
  7. Bimston DN, McGee JP, Liptay MJ, Fry WA. Continuous paravertebral extrapleural infusion for post-thoracotmoy pain management. Surgery. 1999;126:650–656
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  9. Joshi GP, Bonnet F, Shah R, Wilkinson RC, Camu F, Fischer B, et al. A systematic review of randomized trials evaluating regional techniques for postthoracotomy analgesia. Anesth Analg. 2008;107(3):1026–1040
  10. Purcell-Jones G, Pither CE, Justins DM. Paravertebral somatic nerve block: a clinical, radiographic, and computed tomographic study in chronic pain patients. Anesth Analg. 1989;68:32–39
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  13. Breivik H. Safe perioperative spinal and epidural analgesia: importance of drug combinations, segmental site of injection, training and monitoring. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 1995;39:869–871
  14. Breivik H. Epidural analgesia for acute pain after surgery and during labor including patient-controlled epidural analgesia. In:  Breivik H,  Campbell WI,  Nicholas MK editor. Clinical Pain Management. Practice and Procedures. 2nd ed.. London: Hodder-Arnold; 2008;p. 311–321
  15. Breivik H, Bang U, Jalonen J, Vigfússon G, Alahuhta S, Lagerkranser, M. Nordic guidelines for neuraxial blockade in patients with disturbed haemostasis proposed by the Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine taskforce. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand; 2009 Oct 19. [E-pub ahead of print].
  16. Lekhak B, Bartely C, Concacher ID, Nouraei SM. Total spinal anaesthesia in association with insertion of a paravertebral catheter. Br J Anaesth. 2001;86:280–282
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  18. Luketich JD, Land SR, Sullivan EA, Alvelo-Rivera M, Ward J, Buenaventura PO, et al. Thoracic epidural versus intercostal nerve catheter plus patient controlled analgesia: a randomized study. Ann Thorac Surg. 2005;79:1845–1849
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PII: S1877-8860(09)00018-4

doi: 10.1016/j.sjpain.2009.11.002

Scandinavian Journal of Pain
Volume 1, Issue 1 , Pages 3-4 , January 2010

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