Can Ultrasound?Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block Replace Thoracic Epidural Analgesia for Postoperative Analgesia in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Thoracotomy? A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT

Background:Many analgesic modalities have been investigated in pediatrics for thoracotomy. We studied the analgesic efficacy of unilateral continuous ultrasound?guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) compared to a thoracic epidural in pediatric patients undergoing thoracotomy. Materials and Methods: A prospective, randomized, observer?blinded, controlled study. Pediatric patients (2–7 years) scheduled for right or left thoracotomy under general anesthesia (GA) were enrolled in the study. We randomly assigned patients into two groups The thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) group received GA with an epidural catheter. The ESPB group received GA with a unilateral ultrasound?guided erector spinae plane catheter. The primary outcome was postoperative cumulative opioid consumption for 24 h. Results: The total intraoperative fentanyl requirement was 35.4 ± 11.44 µg in the TEA group and 30.4 ± 9.08 µg in the ESPB group (t?value 1.53013, P value 0.134). The total postoperative fentanyl requirement was comparable in both the groups and clinically nonsignificant (44 ± 2.82 in the TEA group vs. 44.25 ± 13.72 in the ESPB group, t?value = ?0.02412, P = 0.981). The median (IQR) Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) score at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h time points in the ESPB was equivalent to the TEA group. At 6 h time point, the TEA group had a significantly lower FLACC score than the ESPB group (1[1.75, 1] in the TEA group and 2 [2, 1] in the ESPB group, P value = .02, U = 117.5, z?score = ?2.218). The complications were higher in the TEA group (urine retention 20% and hypotension 40%) than in the ESPB group (0 and 0%). Conclusions: This study shows that the ESPB provides similar postoperative analgesia to the TEA in pediatric patients undergoing thoracotomy. The ESPB is simpler, faster, and has a lower complication rate