Is the erector spinae plane (ESP) block a sheath block? A reply

Ultrasound-Guided Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block vs. Ultrasound-Guided Bilateral Posterior Quadratus Lumborum Block for Postoperative Analgesia after Caesarean Section: An Observational Closed Mixed Cohort Study

ESP block (ESPB) and posterior Quadratus Lumborum Block (pQLB) have been proposed as opioid-sparing techniques for the management of pain after abdominal surgery. Between December 2021 and October 2022, we conducted a retrospective comparative study at the delivery suite of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy, to compare the efficacy of ESPB and pQLB in preventing postoperative pain after an elective caesarean section (CS). The primary outcome was total morphine consumption in the first 24 h. Secondary outcomes were time to first opioid request; Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) at 0, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h; vital signs; adverse events. Fifty-two women were included. The total cumulative dose of morphine was not significantly different between the two groups of patients (p = 0.897). Time to first dose of morphine, NPRS values and haemodynamic parameters were not statistically different between the two groups. NPRS values significantly increased (p < 0.001) at the different time intervals considered. The need for rescue doses of morphine was lower in the ESPB group compared to the pQLB group (hazard ratio of 0.51, 95% CI (0.27 to 0.95), p = 0.030). No adverse event was reported. ESPB seems to be as effective as pQLB in providing analgesia after CS.

Effect of Erector Spinae Plane Block in Terms of Analgesic Efficacy in Elderly Patients Undergoing Posterior Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Retrospective, Propensity-Score Matched Study

INTRODUCTION

For preoperative analgesia during a variety of operations, the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has grown in popularity. However, its effectiveness in lumbar surgery is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential benefits of ESPB in enhancing analgesic efficacy in elderly individuals following posterior lumbar spine surgery.

METHODS

Patients aged 65 years or older who underwent elective posterior lumbar instrumented fusion (with or without decompression) at our institution between January 2019 and June 2022 were included. Demographic data, comorbidities, and results of preoperative screening were retrospectively collected. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed in a ratio of 1:1 for control and ESPB groups. The primary outcome was opioid consumption at 24 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes was visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores at rest in the first 24 h. Additional secondary outcomes included number of patients requesting rescue analgesia, incidence of nausea and vomiting, time to the first request for analgesia via patient-controlled analgesia, and length of stay.

RESULTS

A total of 382 patients were included, of whom 119 received ESPB. The mean age of the study patients was 70.6 years old, and 254 (66.5%) were male. After PSM, each group comprised 115 patients. Patients in the ESPB group showed a significantly lower opioid consumption at 24 h after surgery. Compared with the control group, VAS pain scores at rest in the first 24 h, number of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) pump compressions, ratio of patients requesting rescue analgesia, incidence of nausea and vomiting, and length of stay were significantly reduced in the ESPB group. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding safety outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

ESPB reduces short-term opioid consumption while providing safe and effective analgesia in elderly patients undergoing posterior lumbar surgery.

Continuous interscalene versus phrenic nerve-sparing high-thoracic erector spinae plane block for total shoulder arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

The high-thoracic erector spinae plane block (HT-ESPB) has been reported as an effective analgesic modality for the shoulder region without phrenic nerve palsy. The goal of this study was to compare the HT-ESPB as a phrenic nerve-sparing alternative to an interscalene block for total shoulder arthroplasty.

METHODS

Thirty patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty at Stanford Health Care (Palo Alto, CA, USA) were enrolled in a double-blind randomized controlled trial. We randomized 28 patients to receive either an interscalene or HT-ESPB perineural catheter preoperatively; 26 patients were included in the final analysis. The study was powered for the primary outcome of incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Other outcome measures included incentive spirometry volume, brachial plexus motor and sensory exams, adverse events, pain scores, and opioid consumption.

RESULTS

The incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis in the HT-ESPB catheter group was significantly lower than in the interscalene catheter group (0/12, 0% vs 14/14, 100%; P < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in pain scores and opioid consumption (in oral morphine equivalents) between the interscalene and HT-ESPB groups through postoperative day (POD) 2. Nevertheless, the mean (standard deviation) point estimates for opioid consumption for the HT-ESPB group were higher than for the interscalene group in the PACU (HT-ESPB: 24.8 [26.7] mg; interscalene: 10.7 [21.7] mg) and for POD 0 (HT-ESPB: 20.5 [25.0] mg; interscalene: 6.7 [12.0] mg). In addition, cumulative postoperative opioid consumption was significantly higher at POD 0 (PACU through POD 0) in the HT-ESPB group (45.3 [39.9] mg) than in the interscalene group (16.6 [21.9] mg; P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that continuous HT-ESPB can be a phrenic nerve-sparing alternative to continuous interscalene brachial plexus blockade, although the latter provided superior opioid-sparing in the immediate postoperative period. This was a small sample size study, and further investigations powered to detect differences in analgesic and quality of recovery score endpoints are needed.

STUDY REGISTRATION

www.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov (NCT03807505); registered 17 January 2019.

Erector Spinae Plane Block. A narrative review

The erector spinae plane (ESP) block is an interfascial block described in 2016 by Forero and collaborators, with wide clinical uses and benefits when it comes to analgesic control in different surgeries. This block consists of the application of local anesthetic (LA) in a deep plane over the transverse process, anterior to the erector spinae muscle in the anatomical site where dorsal and ventral branches of the spinal nerve roots are located. This review will cover its clinical uses according to different surgical models, the existing evidence and complications described to date.

Continuous Lumbar Plexus Block vs Continuous Lumbar Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Pain Control After Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background

Optimal pain management is key to successful recovery in revision total hip arthroplasty. Lumbar plexus blocks (LPBs) have traditionally been used for postoperative pain management. Recently, the lumbar erector spinae plane block (LESPB) has emerged as a promising regional anesthesia technique and is relatively simple to perform. Our study aimed to evaluate whether continuous LESPB provided better analgesia and clinical outcomes than continuous LPB in revision hip arthroplasty.

Material and methods

We compared 25 LPBs with 25 LESPBs performed from October 2017 to November 2018 for revision hip arthroplasty. The primary outcome of this study was difference in opioid consumption between the groups at 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes include pain scores, hospital lengths of stay, pain adjunct consumption, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Results

There was no significant difference in average opioid consumption between the LPB and LESPB groups during the first 24 hours postoperatively (73.8 ± 68.1 mg vs 85.1 ± 69.7 mg, respectively, P = .57). Similarly, there was no significant difference in average pain scores (3.3 ± 2.1 vs 3.7 ± 1.8, respectively, P = .42).

Conclusions

There was no significant difference in opioid consumption and pain scores in patients with continuous LESPB compared with those with continuous LPB. While our study did not show a difference in these outcomes, the LESPB is a straightforward regional block that avoids many of the risks of LPBs and may be as effective for pain control.

The erector spinae plane block: a narrative review

Regional anesthesia and pain management have experienced advances in recent years, especially with the advent of fascial plane blocks. The erector spinae plane block is one of the newest techniques to be described. In the past two years, publications referring to ESP block have increased significantly. The objective of this review is to analyze the articles about ESP block that have been published to date. We performed a search in the main databases and identified 368 articles. After a selection of the relevant articles, 125 studies were found eligible and were included in the review. The ESP block is performed by depositing the local anesthetic in the fascial plane, deeper than the erector spinae muscle at the tip of the transverse process of the vertebra. Many cases of its use have been described with satisfactory results in the treatment of both acute pain and chronic pain. The applicability of the technique covers many clinical scenarios. Of the 98 case reports reviewed, 12 and 87 articles, respectively described the technique as a treatment for chronic pain and acute pain. The single-shot was the most frequently used technique. As described in the articles published to date, the technique is easy to perform and has a low rate of complications. However, despite the effectiveness of the technique, further studies are necessary to obtain more evidence of its actions.

Erector Spinae Block. A Narrative Review

The erector spinae plane block is a novel ultrasound-guided technique that has recently been described for the management of acute and chronic thoracic pain. Currently an increasingly number of indications for the ESP block have been published. Nevertheless, the anatomy, mechanism of action, doses and volume of local anesthetic needed are still unclear. The aim of this narrative review is study this new block with base on the updated medical literature.

The erector spinae plane (ESP) block: A pooled review of 242 cases

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) was first described in 2016 as a regional block for thoracic neuropathic pain. Given its short history, there are a paucity of controlled clinical trials, yet an abundance of case reports. The primary aim of this review is to examine pooled clinical data from published literature to gain an understanding of ESPB characteristics.

DESIGN

A PubMed search was conducted to identify all ESPB related publications. Inclusion criteria included reports of ESP single shot, continuous infusion, intermittent bolus, human and cadaveric studies. Only publications obtained in English were included. Measures included type of publication, year and country of publication, journal of publication, block technique, anatomic location, age, opioid and adjunct pain medication use, sensory and motor changes, side effects and adverse events. Qualitative statistics were used.

MAIN RESULTS

The initial search yielded 201 publications. After application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 85 publications from 21 journals were included in the pooled review which yielded 242 reported cases between 2016 and 2018. The majority of publications reported single shot techniques (80.2%), followed by intermittent boluses (12.0%) and continuous infusions (7.9%). 90.9% reported use of multimodal analgesia in addition to the ESPB and 34.7% reported sensory changes from ESPB. A reduction in opioid use was reported in 34.7% of cases. One adverse event involving a pneumothorax was reported.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first review providing a pooled review of ESPB characteristics. The ESPB appears to be a safe and effective option for multiple types thoracic, abdominal, and extremity surgeries.

Erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a case report

The Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESP) is a novel regional technique for anesthesia or analgesia. Originally the ESP block was described in 2016 in a case report regarding analgesia intervention for a case of thoracic neuropathic pain. Since then, there has been growing interest and research adding experience about the ESP block as regional anesthetic and analgesic technique. Reviewing the literature about this novel technique in databases like PubMed using the key words "erector spinae plane block" returns approximately 56 publications. So far there is no available big series of cases or reviews regarding the ESP block. The literature is limited to case reports or case series. With the present case we are interested in exploring the efficacy of ESP block as a postoperative analgesic method for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We describe the case of a 76-year-old female patient scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Written informed consent was granted (for procedure and publication of photos). We applied a bilateral ultrasound-guided ESP block at T6 level while the patient was awake before general anesthesia induction. The anesthetic solution we used consisted of 12 mL Ropivacaine 0.375% plus 2 mg dexamethasone (on each side). After the successful administration of the block (observation of the solution spread between transverse process and the erector spinae muscles), general anesthesia was induced and the procedure was started. Procedure and recovery was uneventful with the patient experiencing very good analgesia (NRS pain score 0 up to 6 hours after block placement). The patient presented mild pain (NRS score of 2-3) after 6 hours and requested the "on demand" pain medication (1 g paracetamol IV) only 10 hours after the ESP block (NRS pain score of 4-5). The patient experienced no nausea or vomiting, was mobilized easily about 6 hours after the block and was discharged the next day. This relatively simple and safe block dramatically reduced the amount of IV pain medication we usually administer for the specific procedure. The overall result was increased satisfaction of the patient and avoidance of opioid use.

Erector spinae plane block may aid weaning from mechanical ventilation in patients with multiple rib fractures: Case report of two cases

Uncontrolled pain in patients with rib fracture leads to atelectasis and impaired cough which can progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation. Of the various pain modalities, regional anaesthesia (epidural and paravertebral) is better than systemic and oral analgesics. The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a new modality in the armamentarium for the management of pain in multiple rib fractures, which is simple to perform and without major complications. We report a case series where ESPB helped in weaning the patients from mechanical ventilation. Further randomised controlled studies are warranted in comparing their efficacy in relation to other regional anaesthetic techniques.

Fluoroscopic-guided erector spinae plane block: A feasible option

Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a new truncal block which has been used successfully to manage many acute and painful conditions including multiple fractured ribs. This block is primarily an ultrasound-guided block. We have evaluated the feasibility of fluoroscopic guidance for this block. We have reported two cases of severe chest pain due to multiple fractured ribs managed successfully with ESPB given under fluoroscopic guidance.