Basic aspects of thoracic anaesthesia are general anesthesia often combined with regional anesthesia, intubation with double lumen tube and separation of lung ventilation. Proper assessment of pain and adequate analgesia in intraoperative and postoperative period is a challenging issue for medical practitioners. Intraoperative trauma may lead to many metabolic implications and disturbance of haemostasis, what can be reflected in change of blood and saliva hormone and other substance levels, such as alpha-amylase, cortisol, testosterone, secretory IgA, β-endorphin, nerve growth factor, calcitonin gene-related protein and P substance. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of regional anesthesia on hormone levels in postoperative period. Saliva was collected from participants in order to perform laboratory tests, using a special disposable Salivette tube (Sarstedt AG & Co, Germany). Saliva was collected by placing a sterile tampon under the tongue or chewing for 30-45 seconds. The soaked saliva pad was then placed in a suspended insert with a perforated bottom. The insert with a tampon was placed in a centrifuge tube and closed with a stopper. Next the tube was centrifuged (1000 x g for 10 min.) to obtain a ready to test saliva supernatant. Approximately 0,7 ml of the supernatant from every sample collected was used for further testing. Samples were frozen after centrifugation at - 85°C until performing laboratory tests. Blood was collected for laboratory tests from the ulnar vein. Blood for testing was collected using disposable equipment in a volume of 5ml into a tube containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and aprotinin. Next the tube was centrifuged (1000 x g for 5 min.). After centrifugation and separation of morphotic elements, the obtained plasma was divided into two tubes and frozen at - 85°C until performing laboratory tests.
Basic aspects of thoracic anaesthesia are general anesthesia often combined with regional anesthesia, intubation with double lumen tube and separation of lung ventilation. Proper assessment of pain and adequate analgesia in intraoperative and postoperative period is a challenging issue for medical practitioners. Intraoperative trauma may lead to many metabolic implications and disturbance of haemostasis, what can be reflected in change of blood and saliva hormone and other substance levels. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of regional anesthesia on hormone levels in patients requiring videothoracoscopic procedures.