Post-Surgical Epidural May Boost Survival

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"This study provides reassuring information that epidural anesthetic is safe and may slightly increase the chance of surviving a major operation," Wijeysundera said. "These results may help patients make better informed choices about how they manage their pain after a major operation," he said.

"You need to control post-operative pain," noted one expert, Dr. Zeev N. Kain, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at the University of California, Irvine. "Pain is not good for you, because it hinders your recovery," he said.

The bottom line, Kain said, is that epidurals are safe and should be used but not because of this very slight improvement in survival. He believes that -- especially for major procedures -- epidurals often relieve pain better than other methods.

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"If you have surgeries to remove the pancreas or liver resection or a Whipple procedure, where they take half your abdominal cavity out, these are very painful procedures," Kain said. "For them, there is no question that the best pain relief is epidural," he said.

More information

For more on epidural anesthetic, visit the Medline Plus.

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