Timing of Serratus Anterior Plane Block in Mastectomy Surgery

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Ultrasound-Guided Serratus Anterior Plane Block: Ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block will be performed under general anesthesia on the operative side. With the patient in the supine position and the ipsilateral arm abducted, a high-frequency linear ultrasound probe will be placed at the midaxillary line around the fourth to fifth intercostal level. After identification of the latissimus dorsi and serratus anterior muscles, the block needle will be advanced using an in-plane technique, and 25 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected into the fascial plane between these muscles after negative aspiration. In the preincisional arm, the block will be performed after induction of general anesthesia and before surgical incision. In the end-of-surgery arm, the same block will be performed after completion of surgery and before extubation.

Bupivacaine: Bupivacaine 0.25%, 25 mL (62.5 mg), will be administered as a single ultrasound-guided injection into the serratus anterior plane on the operative side. In the preincisional arm, administration will occur after induction of general anesthesia and before surgical incision. In the end-of-surgery arm, administration will occur after completion of surgery and before extubation.

Study summary

Postoperative pain following mastectomy may adversely affect early mobilization, patient comfort, and overall quality of recovery. Serratus anterior plane block is an ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia technique that provides analgesia to the anterolateral thoracic wall and is increasingly used as part of multimodal analgesia for breast surgery. Although the analgesic efficacy of serratus anterior plane block has been investigated in breast surgery, the clinical impact of the timing of block administration remains insufficiently defined.

This prospective, randomized, controlled, patient and assessor blinded clinical trial will compare two different timings of ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block in adult female patients undergoing elective unilateral mastectomy under general anesthesia. Participants will be randomized to receive serratus anterior plane block either after induction of general anesthesia and before surgical incision, or after completion of surgery and before extubation. In both groups, the block will be performed under ultrasound guidance using 25 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine.

The primary outcome is postoperative quality of recovery at 24 hours, assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include postoperative pain scores at predefined time points during the first 24 postoperative hours, intraoperative remifentanil consumption, postoperative opioid and non-opioid analgesic requirements, time to first analgesic requirement, postoperative nausea and vomiting, length of hospital stay, complications, inflammatory response markers including CRP and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and intraoperative hemodynamic variables.

The study is planned to enroll 80 participants at a single tertiary training and research hospital. The findings are expected to clarify whether preincisional administration of serratus anterior plane block provides superior postoperative recovery, analgesic efficacy, and modulation of inflammatory response compared with administration at the end of surgery.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Postoperative Quality of Recovery at 24 Hours — 24 hours after surgery
  Postoperative quality of recovery will be assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire. The postoperative 24-hour QoR-15 score will be compared between the preincisional serratus anterior plane block group and the end-of-surgery serratus anterior plane block group. Higher scores indicate better quality of recovery.

Trial sites (1)

More Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital trials in Turkey

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