Serratus Anterior Plane Block for Procedural Anesthesia for Pigtail Tube Thoracostomy: A Case Series

Pneumothoraces are frequently treated by emergency physicians. Tube thoracostomy, the definitive treatment for a spontaneous pneumothorax, is associated with significant pain. Analgesia prior to tube thoracostomy often involves the administration of opioids and local infiltration of anesthetics. Thus far, regional anesthesia prior to pigtail tube thoracostomy in the emergency department (ED) has not been well described; it offers promise in alleviating pain associated with this procedure. Due to its ability to anesthetize all or most of the structures associated with tube thoracostomy-skin, serratus anterior muscles, intercostal muscles, and the parietal pleura-the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a potentially promising fascial plane block prior to pigtail tube thoracostomy.

We present three cases of patients in the ED who received a SAPB and had nearly complete or complete anesthesia during pigtail tube thoracostomy.

Pigtail tube thoracostomies are commonly performed in the ED and can be associated with significant pain despite a multimodal approach to pain management. The SAPB offers a safe and effective approach to anesthesia for patients in the ED undergoing a pigtail tube thoracostomy.