Early experience with PECS 1 block for Port-a-Cath insertion or removal in children at a single institution

Following research ethics board approval, we conducted a chart review of the electronic medical record database (between August 1 to September 15, 2017) comparing children undergoing Port-a-Cath insertion or removal under general anesthesia with local anesthetic placement by the surgeon (No PEC) versus an ultrasound guided PECS 1 block by an anesthesiologist (PEC). A larger scale prospective trial would be needed to further investigate such possible clinical benefits.Funding None.Acknowledgements The authors thank the Stanford University Pediatric Regional Anesthesia team for their help in the perioperative management of these patients.Conflicts of interest None. Group PEC No PEC Total number of patients 5 20 Percentage of patients needing rescue analgesia 20% 45% P = 0.31 Percentage needing long acting opioid in recovery 0% 10% P = 0.46 Percentage needing long acting opioid for the entire perioperative period 0% 30% P = 0.16 Average pain score (SD) 0.67 (1.31) 1.16 (1.48) P = 0.47 Post-anesthesia care unit length of stay (SD) 86.8 mins (27.5 mins) 95.9 mins (32.8 mins) P = 0.38 Medication used for local anesthetic Ropivacaine 0.2% 0.4 ml/kg (range 0.3–0.45 ml/kg) +/− clonidine (range 1–2 μg/kg) Bupivacaine 0.25% 0.5 ml/kg up to 10 mls maximum Table 2 PEC vs No PEC group.