Efficacy of Postoperative Epidural Anesthesia Following Abdominoplasty

Efficacy of Postoperative Epidural Anesthesia Following Abdominoplasty

Effective postoperative pain management is essential for patient satisfaction and therefore intraoperative regional nerve blocks have become more and more popular in abdominoplasties. However, the key disadvantage of these blocks are their limited duration of action. This observational study evaluates the effects of a longer- lasting, individualized epidural analgesia using a pain pump to better classify the clinical value of this procedure.

This work reviews the digital medical charts of patients who underwent selective abdominoplasty without additive surgical procedures within a period of 4 years. Evaluated data comprise the postoperative analgesia regimen, including on-demand medication, mobilization time, inpatient length of stay, and clinical outcome. The patients were grouped by the presence of an epidural catheter.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients who underwent abdominoplasty

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who underwent abdominoplasty combined with additional intraoperative procedures (e.g., liposuction, hernia repair) were excluded