A comparison between subpleural patient-controlled analgesia by bupivacaine and intermittent analgesia in post-operative thoracotomy: A double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Background: The efficacy of subpleural analgesia to reduce postoperative pain intensity in patients after lateral thoracotomy is controversial. In this study, we demonstrated the efficacy of two types of subpleural analgesia.

Methods: This prospective, controlled, randomized, double-blind trial was performed in Department of Thoracic Surgery of Alzahra Hospital associated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences from June 2009 until August 2010.