Published in:
01-12-2019 | Thoracoscopy | Thoracic Anesthesia (T Schilling, Section Editor)
Serratus Plane Block in the Management of Post-operative Thoracotomy Pain
Published in: Current Anesthesiology Reports | Issue 4/2019
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Purpose of Review
Thoracotomy 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 Findings
Serratus 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.
Summary
The 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.