Multiple Thoracic Wall Blocks for Awake Breast Surgery: A Case Report

Yavuz Gürkan1, İlayda Kalyoncu1, Doğa Şimşek1

  • 1Koç University Faculty of Medicine, Koç University Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, İstanbul, Turkey.

Awake breast surgeries under nerve blocks have been a challenge for anaesthesiologists, and different block combinations have been used for surgery under sedation. Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) was thought to be sufficient alone for surgical anaesthesia of the breast. We performed a combination of TPVB, pectoralis nerve I block, and serratus anterior plane block for awake breast surgery in an elderly patient with serious comorbidities. Surgical anaesthesia was achieved, excluding skin incision. Any regional anaesthesia technique alone is not sufficient; rather, multiple thoracic wall blocks are needed for surgical anaesthesia of the breast.

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