• Kenzy Abdelhamid, Hassan ElHawary, and Joel Philip Turner.
• Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• J Emerg Med. 2020 Apr 1; 58 (4): 603-609.

BackgroundAcute pain represents one of the most common reasons for emergency department (ED) visits. In the opioid epidemic that North America faces, there is a significant demand for novel effective pain control modalities, especially in the acute setting.ObjectivesThe goal of this study was to review all the indications and summarize the efficacy of the Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) in the ED.MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE, as well as CINAHL databases were searched according to the PRISMA guidelines to find any study reporting on the use of ESPB in the ED.ResultsTen studies were published reporting on seven different indications for the use of ESPB in the ED. It was most commonly used for rib and spine fractures. Other indications included: mechanical pain, burn injuries, herpes zoster, renal colic, and acute pancreatitis. All the studies demonstrated a significant reduction in pain after administration of ESPB. Furthermore, it has been reported to improve respiratory function and was not associated with any complications after administration.ConclusionsESPB is an easy-to-administer interfascial plane block that has several indications and promising potential for acute pain management in the ED. The easily identified landmarks coupled with its low complication rate makes it an appealing technique to be used by emergency physicians in the context of acute pain management. Further studies should investigate any other possible indications and compare its efficacy with other techniques, such as epidurals and serratus anterior blocks.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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