Postoperative Rehabilitation After Cardiac Surgery in Patients at Risk of Respiratory Complications. Effects of a Continuous Bi-laterosternal Infusion of Ropivacaine Through Multihole Catheters

Postoperative pain after cardiac surgery is a risk factor for postoperative complications. In cardiac surgery, pain is more intense during the first 48 hours and disturbs the patient's capacity of coughing, deep breathing, and early mobilisation. It may be responsible for respiratory complications such as bronchial or pulmonary infection, and may also delay the patient's rehabilitation and therefore prolong the duration of in-hospital stay. A previous pilot study performed in our department showed a sensible improvement of analgesia at movement and of rehabilitation with a continuous bilaterosternal infusion of local anaesthesia \[Eljezi et al.. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2012; 37:166\]. Such strategy shall be tested in a subpopulation of patients at risk for respiratory complication.