Continuous ropivacaine infusion via epidural catheter improving gastrointestinal dysfuncion in acute pancreatitis: A preliminary study

This preliminary study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous infusion of ropivacaine via an epidural catheter in improving gastrointestinal dysfunction in patients with severe or predicted severe pancreatitis. Of 27 patients, 21(77.8%) were male, and the mean age was 49 ± 10.9 years. Fourteen patients were in the epidural analgesia (EA) group and thirteen patients were in the non-epidural analgesia (NEA) group. There was a trend of improvement of GIF score in the EA group. The mean of GIF score day 1, day 2 and day 3 in the epidural group was significantly less than NEA group (2.19 ± 0.65 vs 2.77 ± 0.76, p-value = 0.043). In a population of critical care unit adults with severe acute pancreatitis or predicted severe acute pancreatitis, this preliminary study showed that continuous infusion of ropivacaine via an epidural catheter may have some benefits in gastrointestinal function. Further comparative investigations with large study populations and multicenter data are necessary.