Thermal imaging evaluation of paravertebral block for mastectomy in high risk patient: case report

Thoracic paravertebral block is the technique of injecting local anesthetic adjacent to the thoracic vertebra close to where the spinal nerves emerge from the intervertebral foramina. It is effective in treating acute and chronic pain of unilateral origin from the chest and abdomen. This technique causes pain relief with pulmonary function preservation and great hemodynamic stability. 66 year old woman (156 cm, 80 kg, BMI 32) with chronic right heart failure, hypertension and obesity, on chronic oxygen therapy was presented for elective mastectomy due to breast cancer. She suffered from severe COPD and also bullous emphysema. FVC 1.59 l; FEV1 0.55 l; FEV1%FVC 34.6. The paravertebral block was performed using the multi-shot percutaneous technique with additional light general anesthesia. For confirmation, of proper analgesia range, control of temperature changes, using FLIR i7 infrared camera, was performed. Control photos were made 20 min after the blockade and then 10 min later. Infrared photo showed rise of temperature reading in every marked region. There were no hemodynamic and pulmonary complications postoperatively. Paravertebral block in combination with sedation creates excellent conditions for breast surgery procedures. Additional temperature changes monitoring performed with infrared camera may confirm proper range of analgesia needed to perform surgery. Great cardiovascular stability and very good pulmonary function preservation make this method excellent for high risk patients. Low complication rate is additional advantage. In our opinion this method is recommendable.