A Comparative Study of The Analgesic Effect of Articaine 2% for Management of Postoperative Pain after Thoracotomy Using Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block

Background: Articaine has been used as a local anesthetic for dental procedures, but studies about articaine used as a local anesthetic for regional block after thoracic surgeries are limited.Aim of the Study: Our study compares the postoperative analgesic efficacy of articaine 2% and bupivacaine 0.25% through erector spinae block for after thoracic surgeries.Patients and Methods: All patients were divided into two groups. Group I [20 patients] [erector spinae block with bupivacine 0.25%] was performed before extubation with an injection of 30 ml of 0.25% bupivacine. Group II [20 patients] [erector spinae block with articaine 2%] was performed before extubation with an injection of 30 ml of articaine 2%.Results: As regard the visual analogue scale at 8 h and 12 h, postoperatively, there was significant variance among the 2 groups [p value=0.045, p value=0.002]. Also, with regard to first-rescue analgesia and the total dose of morphine, there was significant variance among the 2 groups [p value=0.006, p value=0.02].Conclusion: Articaine is a reliable local anesthetic agent when compared to bupivacaine for regional block after thoracic surgeries.