Erector Spinae Plane Block Decreases Pain and Opioid Consumption in Breast Surgery: Systematic Review

Adequate control of acute postoperative pain is crucial in breast surgeries, as it is a significant factor in the development of persistent chronic pain. Inadequate postoperative pain control increases length of hospital stays and risk of severe complications. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a novel regional block that has the ability to sufficiently block unilateral multidermatomal sensation from T1 to L3. By reviewing the literature on ESPB, this paper aimed to elucidate its efficacy in breast surgery analgesia and its role in addressing the opioid crisis in North America.

PUBMED, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched for relevant articles according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria included any articles that described ESPB in breast surgery. Exclusion criteria composed of articles that exclusively discussed other kinds of regional blocks.

Thirty-two articles including 6 randomized controlled trials were included in this review. ESPB demonstrated superior pain control and less opioid consumption compared with tumescent anesthesia or using no block. However, ESPB showed lower efficacy in pain control compared with pectoral nerve block. Patients experienced less nausea and vomiting and were overall more satisfied with ESPB compared with other pain control modalities. The vast majority of the studies reported the ease of ESPB administration, and only 1 case presented with a complication.

ESPB is a promising form of regional anesthesia that can decrease postoperative pain and opioid consumption when used as part of multimodal pain analgesia for patients undergoing breast surgery.