Evaluation of the effect of serratus anterior plane block for pain treatment after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

BACKGROUND

Analgesia following video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is important for the prevention of postoperative pulmonary complications. Various regional methods of anaesthesia are currently being used to achieve this goal. In our study, we aim to assess the effectiveness of SAPB on postoperative VATS analgesia in our study.

METHODS

A total of 40 patients aged between 18 and 70 years, those who were in the Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) I-III class and underwent VATS were included in the study. Patients were randomised to either group T (intravenous patient-controlled analgesia tramadol; n=20) or group S (intravenous patient-controlled analgesia tramadol+SAPB; n=20). Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used for postoperative pain, the primary outcome measure, were evaluated at post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU), 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included the postoperative 2nd, 6th, 12th, and 24th hour follow-up results were evaluated to identify the quantity of tramadol use, Ramsay sedation scale (RSS), side effect profile, and additional analgesic use.

RESULTS

The VAS scores between the two groups were found to be statistically significantly lower in group S during the PACU observation (P<0.05). The mean values of the quantity of tramadol use at the 6th, 12th, and 24th hours were found to be statistically significantly lower in group S (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of side effects and RSS outcomes between the groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study results suggest that SAPB is an effective treatment option for VATS analgesia.