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Ann Thorac Surg 2004;77:1951-1955
© 2004 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Original article: general thoracic

Acute postoperative pain in lung transplant recipients

^a Department of Anesthesiology, Montreal University Medical Center, Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal, Canada
^b Department of Surgery, Montreal University Medical Center, Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal, Canada
^c Department of Medicine, Montreal University Medical Center, Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Accepted for publication December 2, 2003.

^* Address reprint requests to Dr Girard, Department of Anesthesiology, CHUM, Hôpital Notre-Dame, 1560 Sherbrooke E, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2L 4M1
e-mail: francois.girard.chum{at}ssss.gouv.qc.ca

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study was designed to assess the quality of postoperative pain control and the facility of transition from epidural to oral analgesia in lung transplant recipients.

METHODS: After institutional review board approval, data were collected from the charts of all patients who underwent lung transplantation at our institution between 1998 and 2002. The study group consisted of the patients for whom an epidural was the first postoperative pain management modality. To serve as a control group we reviewed the charts of 30 patients, randomly selected over the same period, who underwent a thoracotomy for indications other than transplantation and who received postoperative epidural analgesia.

RESULTS: Eighty-three patients were available for analysis. Unilateral and bilateral lung transplant recipients had equivalent quality of pain control. However, lung transplant recipients had a lower incidence of adequate pain relief than patients undergoing thoracotomy for other indications (73% vs 87%, p < 0.05). Lung transplant recipients also had a higher incidence of epidural to oral analgesia transition failure (47% vs 20%, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to assess the quality of postoperative pain control and success of transition from epidural to oral analgesia in lung transplant recipients. Prospective studies are needed to assess the impact of our findings on patients' outcome.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Girard, P. Chouinard, D. Boudreault, C. Poirier, C. Richard, M. Ruel, and P. Ferraro Prevalence and impact of pain on the quality of life of lung transplant recipients: a prospective observational study. Chest, November 1, 2006; 130(5): 1535 - 1540. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Chaney Intrathecal and Epidural Anesthesia and Analgesia for Cardiac Surgery Anesth. Analg., January 1, 2006; 102(1): 45 - 64. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]