Serratus Plane Block in the Management of Post-operative Thoracotomy Pain

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThoracotomy surgeries are associated with severe pain in the post-operative period; inadequate control of this pain may give rise to pulmonary complications in the form of lung atelectasis and infection. Presently, regional analgesic techniques are the mainstay therapeutic measures suggested for the management of post-operative pain after thoracotomy.Recent FindingsSerratus anterior plane block has shown good pain relief after thoracotomy and thoracoscopy procedures in many clinical trials and case reports. It involves local anesthetic injection in a plane superficial or deep to the serratus anterior muscle; in both these locations, it blocks the lateral cutaneous branches of intercostal nerves providing a sensory block overlying T2 –T9 dermatomes.SummaryThe fascial plane blocks are preferred for the post-operative pain management owing to easy technique, lack of neurological complications, and effective pain relief; SAP block is one of the fascial plane blocks offering good pain relief after chest wall procedures like thoracotomy or thoracoscopy; it has also shown promising results in case of rib fractures.
Source: Current Anesthesiology Reports - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research