Introduction
Adequate pain management after thoracoscopic surgery is a major issue in the prevention of respiratory complications. The combination of the paravertebral block (PVB) with the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) may decrease postoperative pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the combination of PVB and SAPB on the consumption of morphine and pain after video or robot-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS or RATS).
Methods
The main objective of this randomized controlled trial was to compare the cumulative postoperative morphine consumption at 24-hr between a group having PVB (PVB group) and a group having PVB and SAPB (PV-SAPB group). Postoperative pain at 6-hr and 24-hr and morphine-related complications were also assessed.
Results
112 patients were included with 56 in each group. There was no difference in median cumulative morphine consumption at 24-hr between the 2 groups (p = 0.1640). At 6-hr, the median postoperative pain was higher in the PVB group compared to the PV-SAPB group (3 [0;4] vs. 2 [0;3], p = 0.0231). There were no differences between the 2 groups for pain at 24-hr and morphine related-complications.
Conclusion
We did not find any difference in morphine consumption between the two groups. Our results suggest that the combination of PVB and SAPB for VATS or RATS is safe effective and reliable and could be an alternative to PVB alone in certain indications.
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