Comparison of the Analgesic Effects of Tramadol, Pethidine and Morphine Under Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) Block in the Treatment of Pain After Elective Thoracic Surgery

Thoracotomy is one of the most painful surgical procedures known, and severe pain is encountered in 21-67% of patients after thoracotomy. The most important causes of this pain arise from the bone structures of the thoracic wall, damage to the costal joint junctions, stretching of the ligaments, rib fractures, and damage to the intercostal nerve and major muscles. Another factor that causes pain after thoracotomy is the chest tubes placed in the thorax to provide drainage (1).

As a result of this pain caused by loss of tissue and pulmonary reserve, effective coughing and decreased chest expansion can lead to serious complications such as atelectasis, ventilation/perfusion mismatch, hypoxemia, immobilization, thromboembolism and infection. These complications are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in thoracic surgery (2).

Ensuring pain management in patients undergoing thoracotomy is important in terms of reducing postoperative complications, ensuring early mobilization and increasing patient comfort. Since there is no single source that causes pain after thoracotomy, pain must be controlled at all levels. For this reason, a multimodal approach using pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques is preferred in analgesia after thoracotomy. This approach reduces drug side effects along with the consumption of analgesics. Opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used in pharmacological analgesia.

In our study, the investigators aim to compare the effects of tramadol, pethidine and morphine using intravenous patient-controlled analgesia in the treatment of postoperative pain in elective thoracic surgery.