Mortality in patients undergoing thoracotomy with continuous neuraxial analgesia

I recently reviewed a study published by Semmelmann et al 1 that investigates the relationship between continuous neuraxial analgesia and postoperative mortality in patients undergoing thoracotomy. The findings indicate that the use of continuous neuraxial analgesia is associated with a reduction in postoperative mortality for thoracotomy patients. While the authors are to be commended for their valuable contribution to the understanding of postoperative outcomes in this patient population, there are two points I would like to discuss further with the authors.