Effects of General Anesthesia Combined with USG-PVB on Pain and Cognitive Function in Patients Undergoing Esophagectomy

Abstract

Objective To analyze the effect of general anesthesia combined with ultrasound-guided paravertebral nerve block (USG-PVB) on pain and cognitive function in patients undergoing esophagectomy. Methods A total of 60 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent thoracic-laparoscopic radical esophagectomy in our hospital from Jan. 2015 to Jul. 2016 were selected and dichotomized into control group (n=30) and observation group (n=30) according to different treatment methods. Patients in the control group were treated with general anesthesia, while those in the observation group were treated with general anesthesia combined with USG-PVB. The intraoperative and postoperative conditions, postoperative pain and cognitive function were compared between the two groups. Results The postoperative conditions, analgesic effect and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score at 7 days after operation in the observation group were notably better than those in the control group (P<0.05), with no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion General anesthesia combined with USG-PVB exerted a relatively superior analgesic effect on patients undergoing esophagectomy, and positively improved patients’ cognitive function.