Intercostal Cryoanalgesia in Double Lung Transplant Recipients

This study is being done to learn whether a special cold-therapy treatment can help control pain after a double lung transplant. During the surgery, doctors may use a device called the Atricure CryoSPHERE MAX Probe, which gently freezes the nerves around the incision to reduce pain for several days. This freezing effect may help patients need fewer opioid pain medicines, which can sometimes cause sleepiness or make it harder to breathe deeply after surgery. Researchers will compare patients who receive the cryotherapy treatment to patients who receive the usual care without the device.

The main goal is to see whether the cryotherapy group uses at least 25% fewer opioids in the first 10 days after surgery. The study will also look at how often patients still need extra pain treatments, such as an epidural, and whether their average daily pain scores are lower. Another important question is whether the treatment can help shorten the amount of time patients need to stay in the ICU. About 148 people from several hospitals will take part in the study. Everyone who joins the study will be followed for one year after their transplant to monitor their recovery and any long-term effects of the treatment.