patients who underwent a modified BRILMA (intercostal rami block, middle axilary line) ultrasound-guided block with portable device with lineal probe and needle 80 mm. With the patient lying supine, the probe was placed in the sagittal plane of the middle axillary line to identify the aim thoracic structures. Under aseptic conditions, the needle was inserted in plane, caudo-craneal, to reach the fascial plane between the serratus anterior muscle and the external intercostal muscle at the eighth rib. A bolus dose of levobupivacaine 0.25% was administered, 3 ml of local anesthetic for each segment we want to block

PCA (patient controlled analgesia) morphine was initiated immediately postoperatively using CADD Smith Medical pumps. All patients received PCA-morphine with the initial dose being 0.5-1 mg. The bolus dose was 0.01mg/kg mg morphine, with lockout time interval of 15 - 30 min, limiting of 8mg/hour, as the default program. The continuous (basal) dose was increased after 12-24 hours if using frequent demand doses or if pain not controlled and decreasing if no bolus was taken.

The tissue damage induced by the surgery generates a nociceptive pain which is accompanied by inflammatory mechanism (somatic pain), visceral and neuropathic pain, and why the treatment must be adapted to each surgical procedure. As the innervation of the upper abdominal wall depends mainly on the last intercostal nerves, the block of these nerves should be considered a good analgesic strategy to avoid the somatic pain. The placement of the local anesthetic in the serratus intercostal plane at the eighth rib (serratus intercostal plane block, SIPB) in the middle axillary line, managed to block the lateral and anterior cutaneous branches of the last intercostal nerves (T7-11). The results were satisfactory in the postoperative pain control of the patients with open cholecystectomy.

In a questionnaire designed for the study the pain scores were registered as main outcome, using verbal numeric scale (VNS) from 0(no pain at all) to 10 (worst imaginable pain) both at rest and the dynamic component (cough, deep breath, movement, so on). They were scored at 0, 6,12, 24 and 48 hours postoperatively.

intraoperative fentanyl and postoperative morphine

using the scale of surgical recovery modified Postoperative Quality of Recovery Score

(The QoR-15:15 answers) that the patients filled in at 24 hours postoperatively. The QoR-15 questionnaire collected 9 parameters that valued the physical well-being (pain 2 items, Physical Comfort 4 Physical Independence 2) and 6 that valued the mental well-being (Psychological support 2, Emotional state 4). Each scored on an 11 point numerical rating (0-10)