Description

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) is increasingly performed as an alternative to traditional sternotomy-based procedures, providing benefits such as shorter recovery time, reduced hospital stay, and improved cosmetic outcomes. However, despite smaller incisions, patients frequently experience moderate to severe postoperative pain due to rib, pleural, and intercostal nerve injury. Uncontrolled pain may impair respiratory function, delay mobilization, and increase postoperative complications, including chronic post-thoracotomy pain.

Regional anesthesia techniques play an important role in multimodal analgesia after MICS, but the optimal approach remains uncertain. Thoracic epidural and paravertebral blocks have been widely used but are often limited by safety concerns in anticoagulated patients. Recently, ultrasound-guided interfascial plane blocks have gained attention due to their simplicity and low complication rates. The Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block (SPSIPB), first described in 2023, targets the fascial plane between the serratus posterior superior and intercostal muscles, typically at the second or third intercostal level, and provides broad sensory coverage from C3 to T10 dermatomes. To date, there is no published study investigating its use for pain control in MICS.

This study will be conducted at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital as a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-center clinical trial. A total of 50 patients (25 per group) aged 18-75 years (ASA II-III) scheduled for MICS will be enrolled after obtaining informed consent. Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) to one of two groups using a computer-based randomization method:

Group SPSIPB (n=25): Standard anesthesia and analgesia + ultrasound-guided SPSIPB with 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine (unilateral, on the surgical side).

Group Control (n=25): Standard anesthesia and analgesia only. All patients will receive intravenous tramadol (1 mg/kg) and paracetamol (1 g) at the end of surgery. Postoperative patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with tramadol (15 mg bolus, 15-min lockout, no basal infusion) will be used in both groups. Rescue morphine (0.05 mg/kg) will be administered when NRS \>4. Pain scores (NRS 0-10) will be recorded at 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively, both at rest and during deep breathing/coughing.

The primary outcome is total postoperative opioid consumption (morphine equivalent, mg) in the first 24 hours.

Secondary outcomes include intraoperative opioid use, postoperative pain scores, extubation time, block-related complications (e.g., pneumothorax, vascular puncture, hematoma, local anesthetic toxicity), postoperative recovery indicators (first oral intake, mobilization, respiratory function), Modified radiological atelectasis score, Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scores, and patient satisfaction.

All postoperative assessments will be performed by a blinded senior anesthesia resident unaware of group allocation. Statistical analysis will be conducted using SPSS v26. Continuous variables will be analyzed with the independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U test as appropriate; categorical variables will be evaluated with chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Repeated pain scores will be compared using repeated-measures ANOVA or Friedman test. A p value \<0.05 will be considered statistically significant.

The study is expected to start in January 2026. The results may provide new evidence on the effectiveness and safety of SPSIPB for postoperative analgesia in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.