Preemptive Low-dose Epidural Ketamine for Preventing Chronic Post-thoracotomy Pain
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2005-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Chronic post-thoracotomy pain is the most common long-term complication that occurs after a
thoracotomy with a reported incidence of up to 80%. While thoracic epidural analgesia has
become the mainstay for managing acute post-thoracotomy pain, its effect on the chronic
post-thoracotomy pain seems questionable. The objective of this prospective, double-blinded,
randomized, controlled trial was to assess the effect of preemptive low-dose epidural
ketamine in addition to preemptive thoracic epidural analgesia on the incidence of chronic
post-thoracotomy pain.