Postoperative analgesic effect of erector spinae plane block in adult patients ’ have undergone abdominal surgery: A multicenter prospective cohort study

Introduction: Abdominal surgery is one of the most prevalent surgical operations, and postoperative pain is a known issue. Beside; widespread shortages of epidural set, the use of anticoagulants, and/or coagulopathy jeopardize the safety of neuraxial procedures. It has been proven that ESPB provides both somatic and visceral sensory blocks of the abdomen, which makes it an ideal nerve block for abdominal surgery. Objective: We evaluate postoperative analgesic effect of the erector spinae plane block combined with general anesthesia as compared to the conventional use of general anesthesia with parenteral analgesics alone in adult patient undergoing abdominal surgery in two selected hospitals from March 1, 2024 – November 19, 2024 Methods and materials: Multicenter, Prospective, cohort study was conducted in two comprehensive specialized hospitals during the study time. Sample size was calculated using Open-epi software, and a total of 154 subsequent surgical patients who had abdominal surgeries were included in the study. Results: ESPB was administered to 71 (45.1%) of the 154 patients who underwent abdominal surgery, while the remaining 83 (54.9%) patients served as a control group. In the PACU and ward at 6, 12, and 24 hours, respectively, the ESPB group's post-operative pain score was considerably lower than that of the control group (P <0.001, mean difference 0.521, 0.769, 0.754, 0.746), both when the patient was at rest and when they were moving. Additionally, the ESPB group's total 24-hour morphine equivalent dose of opioids consumption was considerably lower than that of the control group [(P <0.001, mean difference 5.927 (5.122 – 6.732)] Conclusion: Compared to the control group, patients who had ESP block experienced statistically significant reductions in pain over the 24-hour postoperative period and needed a considerably lower total morphine equivalent dose of opioids.