Epidural Analgesia Versus IV Analgesia in Lumbar Spine Fusions

1. Protocol Title - A Comparison of Epidural Analgesia with Standard Care Following Lumbar Spinal Fusion: A Prospective Randomized Study 2. Purpose of the Study - This prospective randomized study will enroll 200 patients undergoing elective Lumbar Spinal Fusion at Duke University Hospital. The primary objective is to determine the effect of epidural analgesia, as compared with standard care, on post-operative analgesia. Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that patients undergoing Lumbar Spinal Fusion surgery with epidural catheter placement will have superior post-operative analgesia compared to patients undergoing standard care.