Operative and anesthetic management Routinely, antimicrobial prophylaxis with cefazoline will be administered for 24 hours and an epidural catheter was inserted at the 4th-5th or at the 5th-6th vertebral interspace. Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) will be initiated preoperatively with the administration of bupivacaïne 0.25% and continued postoperatively with a lower dosage (bupivacaine 0.1%) that was combined with opiates (fentanyl 2 mcg/ml).