Efficacy of Erector Spinae Plane Block in Modified Radical Mastectomy for Postoperative Analgesia: A Randomised Controlled Study

Introduction: The Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) is a recently introduced Ultrasound (US)-guided interfascial plane block commonly used for treating thoracic neuropathic pain. Although ESPB has been used for pain control after Modified Radical Mastectomy (MRM), which is a frequently performed operation nowadays, its efficacy compared to other methods of pain control is yet to be established. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of ESPB in controlling acute postoperative pain after MRM surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 64 adult females aged between 18-60 years, with American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I and II, scheduled to undergo elective MRM, were enrolled in the present randomised, double-blinded, controlled study conducted at Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India over a period of nine months (from March 2021 to November 2021). They were randomly assigned to two groups, with 32 patients in each group. Group A (n=32) received general anaesthesia only, while Group B (n=32) received US-guided ESPB in addition to general anaesthesia. Postoperative Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores, total intra and postoperative analgesic requirements for the first 24 hours, and duration of postoperative analgesia were recorded for each patient. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 software. Mean and Standard Deviation (SD) were used to express data for numerical variables, while count and percentages were used for categorical variables. Results: Demographic characteristics (age, weight), ASA status, and mean duration of surgery were similar between the groups. The duration of postoperative analgesia was significantly (p