ABDOMINAL AND CHEST SURGERY

Open chest and abdominal operations (as opposed to keyhole surgery) are associated with significant levels of post-operative pain. As such, I recommend a regional anaesthesia technique in addition to the general anaesthetic you receive as it will provide:

• Better pain control: you will need less pain medicine.

• Less side effects: you will have less chance of being itchy, nauseous, sleepy or having trouble going to the bathroom.

• More rapid recovery: having your pain controlled will facilitate mobility, nutrition and rehabilitation from major chest and abdominal operations.

Nerve block techniques

These include TAP (transversus abdominus plane) and PECS (Pectoral and Serratus) blocks, which can safely be performed after you are put to sleep. You may wake up with a tiny plastic ‘catheter’ which can infuse local anaesthetic in the nerve block regions for up to 4 days following your operation.

Please see the patient information section on Peripheral nerve blocks for more detailed information.

Spinals - please see the patient information section on Spinals

Epidurals – please see the patient information section on Epidurals.

Patient controlled analgesia (PCA) machines – please see the patient information section on PCAs.