Two-Level Continuous Thoracic Paravertebral Nerve Blocks Providing Opioid-Free Postoperative Analgesia After Latissimus Dorsi Flap Breast Reconstruction: A Case Report.

We present the case of a 55-year-old woman undergoing a delayed latissimus dorsi flap breast reconstruction after a simple mastectomy for breast cancer. Preoperatively, 2 unilateral paravertebral catheters were placed at T3/4 and T7/8 for postoperative analgesia. Postoperatively, ropivacaine 0.2% was infused until the day of discharge on postoperative day 2. The patient had excellent postoperative analgesia and required no opioids or other analgesics through postoperative day 10. We report that multilevel paravertebral nerve blockade could represent an opioid-sparing alternative for postoperative analgesia for latissimus dorsi flap breast reconstruction patients.