Continue Erector Spinae Plane Block Versus Continue Erector Spinae Block Combined With Serratus Anterior Plane Block in Patients Undergoing Thoracotomy

Thoracotomy is one of the most painful surgical operations known. Pain after thoracotomy significantly affects pulmonary function. Factors that cause this pain include cutting and stretching of the ribs, rupture or stretching of the fibrous attachments of the ribs to the vertebral body anteriorly and to the sternal cartilage posteriorly, and cutting of the chest wall muscles. Complications caused by pain include inability to cough due to decreased respiratory movements and inability to expel bronchial secretions, atelectasis, pneumonia, bronchitis, hypoxemia, respiratory failure and prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Effective relief of postoperative pain in patients undergoing thoracic surgery accelerates recovery and reduces the rate of postoperative complications. Thus, the negative effects of postoperative pain can be prevented and early mobilization and shortening of hospital stay can be achieved. Currently, multimodal approaches are used for postoperative analgesia.

Regional anesthesia modalities are often combined with paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids. Ultrasonography (USG)-guided nerve blocks are less invasive and easier to administer than thoracic epidural analgesia and paravertebral blocks for thoracic surgery analgesia. They can be used alone or as part of multimodal analgesia. Pectoral nerve block (PECS), erector spina block (ESPB), transversus abdominis plan (TAP) block and serratus anterior plan block (SAPB), which can also be applied in operations related to the chest wall, are some of them.

SAPB, which can provide analgesia between the second thoracic vertebra (T2) and ninth thoracic vertebra (T9) levels, is one of the plan blocks that can be applied with USG. It has been reported that the application of local anesthetic drugs to the area between the serratus anterior muscle and intercostal muscle in the T2-T9 dermatomes can block the cutaneous branches of the intercostal muscles. It has been found that approximately 12 hours of sensory block can be obtained with SAPB, which can be used in operations related to the chest wall other than thoracic surgery.

Erector spina plan block is a popular fascial plan block in recent years and has been reported to provide effective analgesia in thoracic pain. It has been successfully used in the treatment of pain after both thoracic and abdominal surgery and in the management of chronic thoracic pain. ESPB has the ability to provide analgesia to both anterior and posterior hemithorax, which is particularly effective in pain management after extensive thoracic surgery or trauma (anterior, posterior and lateral chest wall).