Serratus anterior plane block for minimal invasive heart surgery

BACKGROUND: Minimal invasive heart surgery (MIHS) presents several benefits, but provides intense and prolonged post-operative pain. Our objective was to compare efficacy of serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) with continuous wound infiltration (CWI) for management of post-operative pain following MIHS. METHODS: It’s retrospective, monocentric study between November 2016 to April 2017. The study was performed at the University hospital of Dijon, Burgundy, France. All patients scheduled for MIHS was included. Data was collected retrospectively. During this period, 20 patients had SAPB and 26 had CWI. SAPB was performed before extubation with a single injection of 0.5 mg/kg of ropivacaïne (5 mg/ml). In the CWI group, catheter was inserted in the subcutaneous space by the surgeon at the end of the procedure. A 10 ml bolus of ropivacaïne (7.5 mg/mL) was followed by a continuous infusion (2 mg/ml) between 7 and 12 ml/h for 48 h. Morphine consumption and visual analog score (VAS) were recorded for 48 h. Length of stay in intensive care unit and hospital was also collected. RESULTS: Morphine consumption and VAS score were significantly lower in SAPB group (p < 0.01). Length of stay in intensive care and hospital was significantly was decreased in SAPB group. CONCLUSION: SAPB appears effective in reducing postoperative MIHS pain. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12871-018-0614-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.