Volume 27, Issue 142, December 2023

Cryoablation of the intercostal nerve after mini-thoracotomy procedures: Pilot prospective interventional clinical study

Kočan Ladislav^1,2, Rapčan Róbert^3,4,5, Rapčanová Simona⁵, Varhol Ján⁵, Vašková Janka^6♦

¹Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, East Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Ondavská 8, 040 11 Košice, Slovak Republic
²Europainclinics, Clinic Terasa, Toryská 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovak Republic
³Europainclinics, Starochodovská 1750, 149 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic
⁴Europainclinics, Kominárska 21/5, 831 04 Bratislava – Nové mesto, Slovak Republic
⁵Europainclinics, Na hradbách 3683/3, 085 01 Bardejov, Slovak Republic
⁶Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Trieda SNP 1, 040 66 Košice, Slovak Republic

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Trieda SNP 1, 040 66 Košice, Slovak Republic

ABSTRACT

Background: Minimally invasive surgical procedures are a current trend in cardiac surgery. The advantage is minimal surgical trauma, reduced probability of adhesion formation, and a smaller surgical scar. During these procedures, the incidence of damaging the intercostal nerve and a subsequent increased perception of postoperative pain. Methods: One of the options in anesthesiological interventions is cryoablation of the intercostal nerve. In this pilot study, we compared two groups of patients. Group A (3 patients), with cryoablation performed, and Group B, the control group of 7 patients, treated according to the current analgesic protocol at our department. Conclusion: Compared with Group B, from admission, we recorded a decreased intensity of pain and a lower consumption of opioid analgesics in Group A.

Keywords: Analgesics, cryoablation, intercostal nerve, pain, surgical procedure

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e384ms3258

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v27i142.e384ms3258

Published: 02 December 2023