Does single-injection ICNB reduce pain compared to TEA or PVB in patients undergoing thoracic surgery?
Single-injection ICNB is a viable, noninferior analgesic alternative to TEA or PVB for the first 24 hours after thoracic surgery, particularly when TEA and PVB are contraindicated.
In this study, single-injection ICNB was associated with a reduction in pain during the first 24 hours after thoracic surgery and was clinically noninferior to TEA or PVB. Intercostal nerve block analgesia had opioid-sparing effects; however, TEA and PVB were associated with larger decreases in postoperative MMEs, suggesting that ICNB may be most beneficial for cases in which TEA and PVB are not indicated.
Guerra‐Londono et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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