Effects of rescue analgesia with serratus anterior plane block on moderate-to-severe pain and oxygenation after video-assisted thoracic surgery

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a common surgical procedure that is frequently associated with substantial postoperative pain. However, rescue analgesia using opioids is associated with several adverse effects. The serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) has been demonstrated to be effective as part of multimodal analgesia. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of rescue analgesia using SAPB after VATS. Our data revealed that rescue analgesia with SAPB on the first postoperative day provided significantly greater pain relief and oxygenation than opioids in patients undergoing VATS. However, we observed no inter-group differences in postoperative analgesic consumption, incidence of chronic pain, or quality of life.

胸腔镜辅助外科手术（Video-assisted thoracic surgery, VATS）是一种常见的外科术式，术后常伴随显著疼痛。然而，使用阿片类药物实施补救性镇痛，常会引发多种不良反应。前锯肌平面阻滞（serratus anterior plane block, SAPB）作为多模式镇痛的组成部分，已被证实具有良好疗效。本研究旨在评估VATS术后采用SAPB实施补救性镇痛的效果。本研究数据显示，术后首日采用SAPB实施补救性镇痛，相较阿片类药物，可显著缓解接受VATS手术患者的疼痛并改善其氧合状态。但本研究未观察到两组患者在术后镇痛药物消耗量、慢性疼痛发生率或生活质量方面存在组间差异。