The Impact of Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery and Regional Anaesthesia on Postoperative Opioid Consumption and Pain Scores

The Effect of Paravertebral Block, Intertransverse Block, and Erector Spinae Plane Block on Postoperative Opioid Consumption and Pain Scores in Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery: a Prospective Observational Study

This present study aims is to compare the effects of ultrasound-guided paravertebral block, intertransverse process block, and erector spinae plane block on postoperative opioid consumption, and pain scores in patients undergoing VATS.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has become increasingly popular in Thoracic Surgery due to faster recovery and less postoperative pain compared to thoracotomy. However, although VATS has been reported to cause less postoperative pain than thoracotomy, it has also been shown to significantly increase the risk of acute and chronic postoperative pain, which negatively impacts postoperative pain recovery. Inadequate postoperative pain management can reduce the quality of a patient's recovery and increase the risk of postoperative pulmonary complication. Therefore, controlling pain in patients undergoing VATS is key to ensuring early mobilisation, and minimising the risk of pulmonary complications. Regional anaesthesia techniques are an important part of multimodal analgesia approach in patients undergoing VATS. The aim of the present study is to compare the effects of ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia techniques on postoperative opioid consumption, and pain scores in patients undergoing VATS.

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged 18-75 years
• American Society of Anaesthesiology (ASA) score I-III
• body mass index (BMI) <35kg/m2
• scheduled for elective VATS

Exclusion Criteria:

• ASA score ≥4
• BMI ≥35 kg/m2
• declining to give written informed consent
• controendications for block application
• inability to undergo block application
• history neurological disease or peripheral nerve disease
• history of chronic opioid use
• history of severe liver or kidney failure
• patients admitted to the intensive care unit postoperatively intubated