Complications of Intercostal Nerve Blocks Performed Under Direct Vision During Thoracotomy

Discussion: Painless Abdominoplasty: The Efficacy of Combined Intercostal and Pararectus Blocks in Reducing Postoperative Pain and Recovery Time

“…Regardless, such approaches do have evidence to support their effectiveness and appear to work well in the hands of those who favor them. [3][4][5][6] In contrast, we have achieved early and prolonged pain control with the use of high-volume local anesthesia, which has been documented to elute over a period of greater than 12 hours postoperatively. [7][8][9] The vasoconstrictive effects of the local anesthetic infusion have enabled us to avoid electrocautery, and we elevate the entire abdominal flap with sharp dissection while preserving the perforators during undermining of the upper abdomen.…”