None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Epidural anaesthesia has a mitigating influence on adverse metabolic effects that may influence the outcome from surgery. This trial was designed to investigate whether extending epidural analgesia into the postoperative period improves outcome from high risk vascular bypass surgery
Interventions
Postoperative Epidural analgesia.
Lumbar epidural anaesthesia provided intraoperatively by catheter is to be continued postoperatively by continuous infusion using Ropivacaine 0.2% at the minimal rate required by titration to provide effective analgesia without producing side effects such as hypotension or excessive lower limb motor block. This is to be continued for 72 hours from the completion of surgery. All patients to receive aspirin 100mg daily. After 72 hours patients to convert to simple
Postoperative Epidural analgesia. Lumbar epidural anaesthesia provided intraoperatively by catheter is to be continued postoperatively by continuous infusion using Ropivacaine 0.2% at the minimal rate required by titration to provide effective analgesia without producing side effects such as hypotension or excessive lower limb motor block. This is to be continued for 72 hours from the completion of surgery. All patients to receive aspirin 100mg daily. After 72 hours patients to convert to simple oral analgesia.
Sponsors
St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
0 to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Lower limb arterial bypass surgery where the distal vascular anastomosis is below the level of knee joint
Exclusion criteria
Contraindications to epidural analgesia such as coagulopathy, neurological conditions affecting the lower limbs, orthopaedic or septic complications at proposed epidural insertion site; intolerance of parenteral analgesics
Outcome results
None listed