NEXT DAY DISCHARGE AFTER THE NUSS PROCEDURE USING INTERCOSTAL NERVE CRYOABLATION, INTERCOSTAL NERVE BLOCKS, AND A PERIOPERATIVE ERAS PAIN PROTOCOL

Prospective study of 40 patients demonstrates that combining intercostal nerve cryoablation with regional blocks and an ERAS pain protocol enables next-day discharge after Nuss procedure in 92.5% of cases. The multimodal approach reduced opioid consumption by 73% while maintaining excellent pain control (median 2/10), eliminating the need for IV narcotics.