Paravertebral block: an alternative to general anesthesia in XXXX surgery.

@entity1 @entity0 @entity7297 @entity158 @entity282 @entity1209
Alternative forms of anesthesia in @entity0 @entity1 have been sought to reduce the untoward effects of general anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to compare paravertebral block ( @entity7297 ) and general anesthesia (GA) in terms of @entity158 control, @entity1209 , and resumption of diet in @entity1 undergoing operations for @entity0 . A retrospective chart review was performed on all @entity1 (289) undergoing @entity0 surgery from May 1, 1999 through December 31, 2000 with @entity7297 or GA. The @entity7297 (n = 128) and GA (n = 100) groups had similar demographics. Postoperative narcotics were given to 80.8 and 93 per cent of @entity7297 and GA @entity1 , respectively (P < 0.01), after an average of 216 and 122 minutes from the end of surgery (P = 0.028). The @entity7297 group received 6.2 narcotic units compared with 10.1 in the GA group (P = 0.04). @entity1209 was present in 16.8 and 24 per cent of @entity1 in the @entity7297 and GA groups, respectively (P = 0.12). A diet was tolerated on the same day of surgery by 98.4 and 82 per cent of @entity7297 and GA @entity1 , respectively (P < 0.01). The complication rate of @entity7297 was 1.8 per cent. @entity7297 resulted in better @entity282 control and earlier resumption of diet compared with GA. The good success rate and low complication rate of @entity7297 make it well suited for @entity0 surgery and can eliminate the need for GA in @entity1 with serious comorbidities.
