Intercostal Blocks with Liposomal Bupivacaine in Thoracic Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Assess the efficacy of adding liposomal bupivacaine (LB) to bupivacaine-containing intercostal nerve blocks (ICNBs) to improve analgesia and decrease opioid consumption and hospital length of stay compared with bupivacaine-only ICNBs.

Design: This retrospective, observational investigation compared pain intensity scores and cumulative opioid consumption within the first 72 postoperative hours in patients who received ICNBs with bupivacaine plus LB (LB group) versus bupivacaine only (control group) after minimally invasive anatomic pulmonary resection. LB was tested for noninferiority on pain scores and opioid consumption.

Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Blocks for Adult Pectus Excavatum Repair.

Use of continuous erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks for pectus excavatum repair may be a valuable alternative to thoracic epidural placement. This report describes the successful use of bilateral ESP blocks in 2 patients with complex medical histories in which thoracic epidural placement was either contraindicated or unsuccessful. The benefits of continuous ESP blocks in this subset of patients include pain control with a focus on opioid sparing, early extubation, decreased atelectasis, improved mobilization and physical therapy, and decreased length of hospital stay.