35637 Serratus plane block for postoperative pain management after minimally invasive heart valve surgery: case series

• Published in: Regional anesthesia and pain medicine Vol. 48; no. Suppl 1; p. A307
• Main Authors: Güvenli, Yalçın, Cinar, Yagmur, Karaman, Yücel, Ergin Alaygut, Kunt, Aysegul, Abud, Burcin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Secaucus BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01-09-2023
• Subjects: Pain management; Postoperative period; Regional anesthesia
• ISSN: 1098-7339; 1532-8651
• DOI: 10.1136/rapm-2023-ESRA.584

Please confirm that an ethics committee approval has been applied for or granted: Not relevant (see information at the bottom of this page)The widespread use of ultrasonography in regional anesthesia in recent years; resulted in identifıcation of new blocks such as serratus plane block (SPB). SPB is a regional analgesic technique that blocks T2-T9 which has an excellent role in postoperative pain management for cardiothoracic surgeries. We performed SPB for postoperative analgesia in 5 patients undergoing minimally invasive heart valve surgery (MIHVS).MethodsAfter obtaining informed consents, SPB block was performed after induction of general anesthesia and before the surgical incision, using 1,5mg/kg 0.25% bupivacaine. Pain was measured using a visual analogue score (VAS) (0, no pain; 10, worst pain imaginable) in recovery and at 6th, 12th, 18th, and 24th hours. VAS was less than 3 for the 24th hour and patients had no need for additional analgesics for a post-block period of 12 hours.ResultsSPB provides prolonged postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing MIHVS. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to enhance the efficacy of the SPB.ConclusionsThoracic pain is thought to be transmitted via nerves originating from T2 to T9. Blockade of unilateral intercostal nerves can provide sufficient analgesia after MIHVS. Combination of opioids, non-steroidal antiinflammatory agents and regional methods; with different mechanisms of action in postoperative pain management is considered to be more effective for post operative analgesia and minimizes side effects as well as reduces incidence of chronic pain.