Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Case Reports
Continuous Bilateral Erector of Spine Plane Block at T8 for Extensive Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery: Case Report.
Supplementary strategies, in combination with conventional analgesia, for pain control after lumbar fusion surgery remain limited. ⋯ A 79-year-old woman experienced excruciating pain on post-operative day 1 after undergoing L2 to S1 spine fusion. Bilateral continuous erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks were performed at T8 and, after a bolus of ropivacaine 0.2% (20 mL) per side, a continuous infusion (5 mL/hour) of ropivacaine 0.2% per side was maintained for 48 hours, which provided effective analgesia. During this period, two boluses (15 mL) per day of ropivacaine 0.2% were administered bilaterally to maintain optimal analgesia. ESP catheterizations at T8, placed remotely from surgical site, may be considered in extensive lumbar spinal fusion cases.