Superficial parasternal intercostal plane blocks in cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Traditional multimodal analgesic strategies have several contraindications in cardiac surgery patients, forcing clinicians to use alternative options. Superficial parasternal intercostal plane blocks, anesthetizing the anterior cutaneous branches of the thoracic intercostal nerves, are being explored as a straightforward method to treat pain after sternotomy. We sought to evaluate the literature on the effects of superficial parasternal blocks on pain control after cardiac surgery.