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Pain Physician
American society of interventional pain physicians(ASIPP)
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| Abstract: |
Background: Appropriate postoperative pain management in shoulder surgeries is the mainstay
of rehabilitation therapy and subsequent improved functional outcomes. However, adequate pain
control either with opioids or interscalene brachial plexus block is often challenged by their side
effects. In this context, this study compared the suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) to the newly
emerging erector spinae plane block at the second thoracic vertebral level (high thoracic-ESPB) as
an alternative pain therapy.
Objectives: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of high thoracic-ESPB with SSNB as
analgesic options for arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Study Design: Prospective randomized, double-blinded, controlled, clinical trial.
Setting: This clinical trial was performed at Zagazig University.
Methods: This prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.
gov (NCT04669639, December 15, 2020). Patient enrollment was initiated after the registration
date (December 20, 2020), and the study was conducted from December 2020 to November
2021. Ninety-six adult patients who prepared for arthroscopic surgeries were assigned to the high
thoracic-ESPB group, SSNB group, and control group; all with 32 patients each.
Results: A significant difference was found between the control group and block groups concerning
the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) at recovery, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hours postoperatively at rest and
with shoulder movement. However, the NRS-11 was significantly higher in the SSNB group than in
the high thoracic-ESPB group only with movement both at recovery and 2 hours postoperatively.
Otherwise, no significant difference between the 2 block groups was found throughout different
time points of the study. The doses of fentanyl given intraoperatively were significantly higher in
the control group than in the high thoracic-ESPB and SSNB groups (mean ± standard deviation
[SD], 326.6 ± 45.8, 224.7 ± 17.1, and 232.8 ± 17.8; P value < 0.001, respectively). A significant
difference also was observed concerning postoperative morphine use, where the mean ± SD was
18.8 ± 2.9 in the control group vs 5.7 ± 1.02 and 6 ± 0.81 (P value < 0.001) in the high thoracic-
ESPB and SSNB groups, respectively.
Limitations: A continuous local anesthetic (LA) infusion catheter can be used either in the high
thoracic-ESPB or SSNB to provide extended periods of analgesia. However, our investigation was
confined to a single LA injection.
Conclusions: SSNB is not inferior to high thoracic-ESPB in the context of phrenic nerve sparing
pain control for arthroscopic surgeries. Moreover, SSNB is a more established technique with more
predicted sensory distributions and a lower risk of LA toxicity.
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