Pain Management in Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS)

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) procedures might reduce operative stress by minimising operative trauma. However VATS, in particular VATS lobectomy, is still associated with moderate acute postoperative pain. A gold standard for regional analgesia for VATS procedures has not yet surfaced, the studies published so far are very heterogeneous. PVB and catheter techniques might have a positive effect on pain scores in the first few hours of the postoperative period. Although thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) may not have been shown to be superior to other analgesic regimens, it is undoubtedly efficient as an analgesic treatment. With the increasing popularity of VATS procedures, there is growing demand from both surgeons and anaesthesiologists for an evidence-based approach to pain management for these procedures. Further studies on this topic are crucial to establish guidelines for pain management in VATS procedures.