Effect of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block on post-surgical pain in patients undergoing nephrectomy: a single-center, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: Erector spinae plane (ESP) block is an alternative to neuraxial block for post-surgical pain in nephrectomy patients. However, no clinical trial has directly compared ESP block with a control group. METHODS: In a single-center, double-blind randomized comparative trial, patients undergoing nephrectomy with a subcostal flank incision under general anesthesia were divided into the following two groups: ESP block group (ESP block before anesthesia) and non-ESP (control) group (no intervention). The primary outcome measure was pain score (Numeric Rating Scale [NRS] 0 to 10). Secondary outcomes were postoperative opiate use, anesthetic and surgical complications, length of hospital stay, and patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: Postoperatively (0 to 24 hours), the ESP block group experienced less pain and had lower NRS pain scores 0 to 24 hours postoperatively than the non-ESP group. Opioid consumption and the number of rescue analgesic doses decreased significantly in the ESP group compared with the non-ESP group. Patient-Reported Outcomes Information System (Quality of Recovery-15) scores significantly improved in the ESP group compared with the non-ESP block group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving an ESP block for intraoperative and postoperative analgesia during radical nephrectomies experienced less postoperative pain 0 to 24 hours compared with the non-ESP group.