Evaluation of the Performance of Epidural Analgesia After Major Abdominal Surgery

Epidural analgesia is widely used for the treatment of acute postoperative pain, and currently represents the gold standard after open major abdominal surgery. However, several studies have reported a failure rate of APT of up to 30%. Its efficacy regarding pain control during coughing and mobilization is also inconsistent, with correct analgesia found in only 60% of cases in a Scandinavian multicenter cohort. Inadequate Epidural analgesia may be associated with more postoperative complications. This finding prompts a study in our institution to evaluate the performance of epidural analgesia after major open abdominal surgery.