Numbing fluid inserted into the chest after rhinoplasty with rib grafting?

Question

Why do some doctors insert numbing fluid into the chest after rib removal, while others do not? I have a balloon leaking numbing fluid for about 5 days.

Andrew L. Greensmith, MBChB, FRACS · Answer

This is an increasingly common method to help your post op pain from your donor site - it is called a Pain Buster and usually helps a great deal - they are quite a bit more expensive and some patients do not want to pay extra for them and they are relatively new boeng only used in the last 5 years

Glenn Vallecillos, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi and thanks for the question. Some surgeons elect to utilized pain pumps following rib resection because these procedures can produce a significant amount of pain, which at times can be difficult to control with oral pain medications. In my practice, we typically inject the region with Exparel, and most patients do quite well post-procedurally.Best wishes,Dr. Vallecillos

Lily Lee, MD · Answer

removal of a chunk of cartilage from your ribs can be painful and your surgeon is trying to be nice to you. We now have Exparel in the US, which lasts up to 72 hours, but prior to its recent FDA approval, the longest numbing medication we could inject lasted 8 hours, which really doesn't give you enough pain control. Some patients find the on Q pump to be cumbersome,  but the cost is significantly less than Exparel.

Numbing fluid inserted into the chest after rhinoplasty with rib grafting?

Answers (3)

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