Continuous bilateral thoracic paravertebral blockade for analgesia after cardiac surgery: a randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Continuous bilateral thoracic paravertebral blockade has been used for analgesia after cardiac surgery, but its efficacy has never been formally tested.

Method: Fifty adult patients were enrolled in a double-blind, randomised, controlled study of continuous bilateral thoracic paravertebral infusion of 0.5% lidocaine (1 mg.