Comparison of thoracic epidural anesthesia with an erector spinae plane infusion for post-esophagectomy analgesia: a pragmatic retrospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Effective pain management following esophagectomy facilitates recovery and may reduce the conversion from acute to chronic pain. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) has been the standard of care for pain management following esophagectomy; however, serious adverse effects and complications of TEA use have been reported. The erector spinae plane (ESP) block has been reported as an alternative analgesia technique, yet no studies have compared TEA with ESP. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a quasi-experimental design study of retrospective data from a 9-year period to compare TEA and ESP analgesia.

Methods

With Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, medical records of patients undergoing an esophagectomy procedure [2016-2023] at a single institution (Rus

SUBMITTER: McCarthy RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12688614 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature