Table 1 Baseline Characteristics. The epidural cohort is demonstrated in full and as matched cohort according to the propensity to receive intrathecal analgesia. Continuous data is presented as median (IQR)[range]. ASA: American Society of Anesthesiology, BMI: Body Mass Index
Intrathecal analgesia (n = 39) | Epidural analgesia (n = 114) | p | Matched Epidural Cohort (n = 39) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (years) | 71 (65–77)[49–83] | 70 (65–78)[42–88] | 0.969 | 69 (65–77)[42–85] | 0.656 |
Male, n (%) | 24 (62) | 79 (69) | 0.430 | 23 (59) | 1.000 |
BMI (kg/m2) | 24.3 (22.5–29.0)[18.8–33.7] | 26.1 (23.9–29.7)[17.1–37.3] | 0.101 | 24.8 (23.0–27.5)[17.1–35.5] | 0.795 |
ASA classification (1/2/3/4), n (%) | 0/25/12/2 (0/64/31/5) | 10/58/42/4 (9/51/37/4) | 0.183 | 0/24/13/2 (0/61/33/5) | 0.970 |
Malignancy as indication, n (%) | 38 (97) | 112 (98) | 1.000 | 38 (97) | 1.000 |
Previous abdominal surgery, n (%) | 6 (15) | 29 (25) | 0.270 | 14 (36) | 0.068 |
Pre-operative opioid use, n (%) | 6 (15) | 9 (8) | 0.210 | 2 (5) | 0.186 |
Mode of extraction, n (%) | 0.631 | 0.539 | |||
- Vaginal (in total group/in women) | 13 (33/80) | 32 (29/91) | 15 (38/100) | ||
- Trocar opening | 23 (59) | 76 (67) | 23 (59) | ||
- Only diversion | 3 (8) | 6 (5) | 1 (3) | ||
Level of epidural catheter placement, n (%) | |||||
- Th4-Th7 | 4 (4) | 0 (0) | |||
- Th7-Th12 | 87 (76) | 29 (74) | |||
- Th12-L5 | 17 (15) | 8 (20) | |||
- Not recorded | 6 (5) | 2 (5) | |||
Epidural opioids, n (%) | 112 (98) | 39 (100) | |||
Epidural continuous dose (mL/h) | 6 (6–8)[4–12] | 6 (6–8)[4–12] | |||
Day of epidural catheter removal | 3 (2–3)[0–4] | 3 (2–3)[0–4] | |||
Cause of removal | |||||
-Elective | 79 (69) | 26 (67) | |||
- Dislocation | 25 (22) | 11 (28) | |||
- Complications | 10 (9) | 2 (5) | |||
Intrathecal morphine dose (µg) | 240 (180–210)[120–300] | ||||