Ba, Y.F., Li, X.D., Zhang, X., Ning, Z.H., Zhang, H., Liu, Y.N., . . . Li, Y. (2015). Comparison of the analgesic effects of cryoanalgesia vs. parecoxib for lung cancer patients after lobectomy. Surgery Today, 45, 1250–1254.
To compare analgesic effects of cryoanalgesia and parecoxib for patients undergoing lobectomy for lung cancer
Patients undergoing open thoracotomy either received cryoanalgesia or parecoxib. Cryoanalgesia was performed on four intercostal nerves. The cryoprobe was placed on each nerve and application was done to induce a temperature of -55 to -65 degrees centigrade. For the other group, 40 mg of parecoxib was given IV push. Postoperative pain and respiratory function was assessed and recorded for seven days.
PHASE OF CARE: Active anti-tumor treatment
Observational
Visual analog scale for pain
During the first week, pain scores of those who received cryoanalgesia were significantly lower than those who received parecoxib (p < 0.05). One month after surgery, those who had cryoanalgesia felt no apparent pain, while the other group had persistent incisional and abdominal pain (p < 0.05). There was no difference between groups 6 months after surgery. Patients in the cryoanalgesia arm used less morphine postoperatively (p < 0.05)
Cryoanalgesia may be an effective approach for short-term postoperative patient management.
Cryoanalgesia appears in this study to have beneficial effects for postoperative pain management for patients undergoing lobectomy for lung cancer. Further research is warranted to evaluate effects of cryoanalgesia in comparison to other known effective approaches.