A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Serratus Anterior Plane Block after Thoracic Surgery

As one of the new regional nerve block techniques, the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) has demonstrated high potential in thoracic surgery.

The present study aimed to analyze the effect of SAPB following thoracic surgery.

Chinese and English databases were retrieved to collect clinical randomized controlled studies (RCTs) on SAPB for postoperative analgesia in thoracic surgery. Both study and control groups were operated under general anesthesia, the SAPB was performed in the study group, and the rest of the postoperative analgesic regimen was the same as that of the control group. The following indicators were evaluated: (1) resting visual analogue scale (VAS) score (4, 12, and 24 h after the surgery), (2) active VAS score (4, 12, and 24 h after the surgery), (3) postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), (4) Postoperative Ramsay score (4-6 hours after operation), (5) Number of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) compressions, and (6) Postoperative sufentanil consumption. Stata software (version 15) was used for meta-analysis.

The resting and active VAS scores at 4, 12, and 24 h postoperatively were lower in the study group than in the control group (P< 0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups in Ramsay scores at 4-6 h postoperatively (P >0.05). The incidence of PONV was significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (P< 0.05), and the number of postoperative PCIA compressions and sufentanil consumption were significantly less in the study group than in the control group (P< 0.05).

As evidenced by the obtained results, the SAPB can enhance the postoperative analgesic effect in thoracic surgery, reduce the incidence of PONV, and decrease opioid consumption.