Impact of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block on postoperative quality of recovery in video-assisted thoracic surgery: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial

Study objective: Regional anesthesia improves postoperative analgesia and enhances the quality of recovery (QoR) after surgery. We examine the efficacy of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) on QoR after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: Single institution, tertiary university hospital. Patients: Adult patients who scheduled for VATS under general anesthesia were enrolled in the study. Interventions: We randomly allocated patients to receive preoperative ultrasound-guided ESPB with 25 ml of either 0.5% ropivacaine (ESPB group) or normal saline (Control group). Measurements: The primary outcome was QoR as measured by the 40-item QoR questionnaire (QoR-40) score at postoperative day 1. Secondary results were post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) discharge time, acute postoperative pain, cumulative opioid consumption, the incidence of postoperative nausea or vomiting (PONY), and patient satisfaction. Main results: The global QoR-40 score at postoperative day 1 (median, interquartile range) was significantly higher in the ESPB group (174, 170 to 177) than the control group (161.5, 160 to 165), estimated median difference 11 (95% CI 9 to 13, P < 0.001). Compared with the control group, single-injection of ESPB reduced PACU discharge time, acute postoperative pain, and cumulative opioid consumption. Correspondingly, the median patient satisfaction scores were higher in the ESPB group than the control group (9 versus 7, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Preoperative single-injection thoracic ESPB with ropivacaine improves QoR, postoperative analgesia, and patient satisfaction after VATS.