Thoracic Epidural as a Therapeutic Bridge Alongside Cryoablation for Rib FracturesTracie Tran, MD, Mark Kendall, MD, VendhamRamanujam, MD
Introduction
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Thoracic epidural is commonly used as analgesia for rib fractures to reduce mortality, length of hospital stay, and pulmonary complications [1]
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Limitations of thoracic epidurals include limited therapy duration of a few days due to concern for infection and necessity of hospitalization
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Intercostal nerve cryoablation, commonly used for surgical stabilization of rib fractures, can potentially be used for longer term pain control [2]
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Intercostal nerve cryoablation usage and effectiveness alongside thoracic epidural for analgesia in non-surgical stabilization patients is not commonly employed
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We present a case of a patient with multiple rib fractures who received intercostal nerve cryoablation for longer term pain control in addition to thoracic epidural