Objective: To report the major complications (epidural hematoma and abscess) of postoperative thoracic epidural analgesia in patients who underwent lung surgery.
Design: Prospective, monocentric study.
Setting: A university hospital.
Participants: All lung surgical patients who received postoperative thoracic epidural analgesia between November 2007 and November 2015.
Interventions: Thoracic epidural analgesia for patients who underwent lung surgery.
Measurements and main results: During the study period, data for 2,907 patients were recorded. The following 3 major complications were encountered: 1 case of epidural hematoma (0.34 case/1,000; 95% confidence interval 0.061-1.946), for which surgery was performed, and 2 cases of epidural abscesses (0.68 case/1,000; 95% confidence interval 0.189-2.505), which were treated medically.
Conclusions: The risk range of serious complications was moderate; only the patient who experienced an epidural hematoma also experienced permanent sequelae.
Keywords: epidural abscess; epidural hematoma; lung surgery; postoperative analgesia; thoracic epidural analgesia.
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