Article Text
Abstract
Application for ESRA Abstract Prizes: I apply as an Anesthesiologist (Aged 35 years old or less)
Background and Aims Oncological breast surgery is associated with significant postoperative pain. PROSPECT guidelines recommend regional anaesthesia for postoperative pain management following mastectomy [1]. Single shot blocks with standard local anaesthetics are limited in duration. We aimed to compare two regional techniques that are currently used at our trust to prolong the duration of post operative analgesia.
Methods We prospectively reviewed 37 mastectomies (September 2021 – March 2023). The patients either received serratus anterior plane catheters through which local anaesthetic was delivered for up to 72 hours postoperatively or preoperative serratus anterior plane blocks using Liposomal Bupivacaine. We compared patient satisfaction and quality of recovery scores in the two groups.
Results There was no clinically significant difference in use of rescue oral opioids in PACU or at home up to post operative day 2 between the groups. Post operative sleep quality was also similar apart from day 2 when Liposomal patients reported better sleep quality. Both patient groups reported high satisfaction scores with analgesia and recovery.
Conclusions 1. High patient satisfaction with both groups 2. Patients highly recommend both techniques. 3. Marginally better sleep quality in the group that received Liposomal Bupivacaine. 4. Both are valid techniques, providing similar pain relief and quality of recovery.
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