Transverse Thoracic Plane Block in the Pediatric Cardiac Patient

Postoperative pain after cardiothoracic surgery can be a significant problem interfering with recovery, yet difficult to manage due to the sedating effects of opiates. These patients frequently have associated postoperative pulmonary changes and are at risk of respiratory depression with opioid analgesia. The ultrasound-guided transversus thoracic muscle plane block (TTMPB) is a recently described regional anesthetic technique showing improvements in postoperative pain management. Further investigation is needed to establish the potential of the TTMPB as an analgesic modality in congenital cardiothoracic surgery in patients under the age of 18.