The Korean Journal of Pain

The Korean Pain Society (대한통증학회)
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High Thoracic Epidural Analgesia for the Control of Pain in Unstable Angina Pectoris -A case report-

불안정형 협심증 환자의 고위 흉부 경막외 진통 효과 -증례보고-

  • Lee, Bong Jae (Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, College of Medicine, Kyunghee University)
  • 이봉재 (경희대학교 의과대학 마취통증의학교실)
  • Received : 2006.10.04
  • Accepted : 2006.12.01
  • Published : 2006.12.30
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Abstract

Unstable angina is a critical phase of coronary heart disease, with widely variable symptoms and prognoses. Recently, despite the advances in surgical revascularization, catheter-based revascularization and medical treatment, an increasing number of patients with angina pectoris are refractory to medical therapy and; therefore, can not be considered as candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting or interventional angioplasty. These patients are often treated with narcotics for pain relief, and forced to severely reduce their levels of activity and productivity. It has become clear that alleviating the pain caused by myocardial ischemia may be possible by altering the sympathetic afferent nerve fibers. Sympathetic blockade can be produced using high thoracic epidural analgesia. Herein, the case of a patient with intractable angina and poor ventricular function, who received high thoracic epidural analgesia to relieve ischemic chest pain, is reported.

Keywords

References

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