Intraoperative thoracic epidural anaesthesia attenuates stress-induced immunosuppression in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Background: Intraoperative stress may suppress the adaptive immune system. Abolished proinflammatory lymphocyte function is associated with higher risk of infection and postoperative complications. We hypothesized that thoracic epidural anaesthesia (TEA) reduces intraoperative stress and thus attenuates lymphocyte decrease and impairment of proinflammatory lymphocyte function.