[Epidural anesthesia: step by step to success].

Besides pain management in obstetric patients epidural anaesthesia plays a major role in the perioperative setting. Especially the technique of thoracic epidural anaesthesia (TEA) provides better postoperative analgesia when compared with systemic pain therapy. TEA is associated with improved outcome in high-risk patients and patients undergoing extensive surgery. An acute pain management service is required to guarantee high effectiveness and a low complication rate. TEA is an important part of a multimodal perioperative concept, especially in fast-track surgery, which means advantages for patients outcome and hospitals economics.