Cryoablation Catheter Used in the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation May Treat Chest Tube Pain: Engin Technique

TL;DR

This paper describes using a cryoablation catheter to manage chest tube pain after heart surgery.

Contribution

A novel method of using cryoablation catheters for intercostal nerve blockade is introduced.

Findings

Cryoablation catheters are used for intercostal nerve blockade in cardiac surgery.

The method is applied in patients with atrial fibrillation preoperatively.

This approach may help reduce postoperative chest tube pain.

Abstract

Postoperative pain after cardiac surgery plays an important role in the patient’s
recovery process. In particular, pain at the chest tube site can negatively
affect the comfort and recovery of these patients. Effective pain control
minimizes the risk of many complications. Oral and intravenous analgesics,
epidural anesthesia, paravertebral block, and intercostal nerve blockade are
used in chest tube pain control. We routinely use the surgical cryoablation
method in the presence of atrial fibrillation in the preoperative period of
cardiac surgery in our clinic. Here we aimed to describe our method of using the
cryoablation catheter for intercostal nerve blockade.

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