San Diego—A Mayo Clinic study has found an effective way to manage pain and reduce opioid use after minimally invasive surgery for pectus excavatum, a congenital condition in which a child’s breastbone is sunken into the chest.
Frequently, pain control is difficult after this procedure, but Mayo Clinic is sending children home with catheters that infuse a non-narcotic nerve-blocking drug, called a paravertebral blockade. Use of the blocks shortens hospital length of stay (LOS) and