The Effects of Combination of PSB and SAPB on Postoperative Analgesia in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Postoperative analgesia is a critical risk factor for the development of pulmonary and cardiovascular complications in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. If patients with high pain levels cannot breathe effectively, it may lead to atelectasis, cardiac ischemia, and arrhythmias. This prolongs the time it takes for patients to be discharged and increases the frequency of postoperative pulmonary complications and postoperative morbidity.

In addition to intravenous medications, various neuraxial and peripheral nerve blocks can be used in cardiac surgery. In recent years, neuraxial anesthesia has been avoided due to the use of intraoperative high-dose heparin. As an alternative, peripheral nerve blocks have recently gained popularity. Parasternal block (PSB) and serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) are very superficial and easy to reach. Recently, in the literature, the number of cases performed with these blocks under ultrasound guidance and the number of randomized controlled prospective studies have increased.

With this study, it was aimed to observe the analgesic effects on both the sternum and the drain site by applying PSB and SAPB applications simultaneously in the postoperative analgesia of CABG patients.