Pain Management in Thoracic Surgery

Thoracic surgery is considered one of the most painful surgical procedures performed. Pain is mediated via several mechanisms and is affected by the surgical approach as well as patient factors. Pain after thoracic surgery can be debilitating and lead to poor outcomes, such as respiratory complications, longer hospital stays, poor quality of life, and chronic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome. A multimodal approach to postoperative pain that combines systemic and regional anesthesia has been shown to be the most effective in optimizing analgesia in these patients.