• Ahmed Ali Gado, Ahmed Abdalwahab, Hassan Ali, Wafaa Mohamed Alsadek, and Ahmed Abdelaziz Ismail.
• Anesthesia and Pain Management, Department of Anesthesia, Kasr Alainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2022 Aug 1; 36 (8 Pt A): 2271-2277.

Objective(S)This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) as an analgesic technique for thoracotomies in pediatric patients.DesignDouble-blinded randomized controlled trial.SettingA single-center study at Aboelrish Pediatric Hospital, one tertiary hospital of Cairo University Hospitals.ParticipantsSeventy pediatric patients aged six months-to-three years scheduled for thoracotomies.InterventionsPatients were randomized into two groups, group SF and group F. Group SF received an ultrasound-guided SAPB (n = 35), whereas group F (n = 35) did not. All groups received an intraoperative fentanyl infusion (at 0.5 μg/kg /h).MeasurementsThe primary outcome was the total dose of postoperatively administrated fentanyl in the first 24 hours. The secondary outcomes included the total dose of intraoperative additional fentanyl boluses; time of the first postoperative rescue analgesia; and postoperative Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale (FLACC) score values.Main ResultsThe main results of this study showed that the administrated fentanyl in the 24 hours postoperatively was significantly lower in SF group than in F group (p value ˂ 0.001). In addition, significant decreases of the postoperative FLACC pain score (p value ˂ 0.001), reduction of intraoperative fentanyl consumption (p value ˂ 0.001), and delay of the first rescue analgesia (p value ˂ 0.001) were recorded in SF group in relation to F group without significant complications in both groups.ConclusionsSerratus anterior plane block can provide a safe, effective, and easy-to-perform regional technique for children undergoing thoracotomies.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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