Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY
Volume 97, Issue 9, Pages 1401-1406Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/bjs.7127
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background: Epidural analgesia is the mainstay of perioperative pain management in enhanced recovery programmes. This study compared short-term outcomes following epidural or intrathecal analgesia in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Methods: A single-centre observational study was carried out in 175 consecutive patients who had elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery for benign or malignant disease within an enhanced recovery programme. Seventy-six patients received epidural analgesia and 99 had a single injection of intrathecal analgesia to provide perioperative pain control. Results: Patients who had intrathecal analgesia had a reduced median postoperative pain score compared with those receiving epidural analgesia (0 versus 3.5; P < 0.001), an earlier return to mobility (1 versus 4 days; P < 0.001) and a shorter hospital stay (4 versus 5 days; P < 0.001). Return to normal gut function and postoperative nausea and vomiting were similar in the two groups. Conclusion: Intrathecal analgesia may have advantages over epidural analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available