National trends in perioperative epidural analgesia use for surgical patients.

Study Objective: Newer regional anesthesia techniques and minimally invasive surgeries have yielded decreased postoperative pain scores, potentially leading to decreased need for perioperative epidural analgesia. Limited literature is available on trends in usage rates of epidurals. The objective of this study was to identify trends in perioperative epidural analgesia rates among multiple fields of surgery.

Erector spinae plane blocks for analgesia after percutaneous nephrolithotomy A pathway to reduce opioids.

Introduction: Despite its minimally invasive nature, percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL ) may be associated with significant pain. Challenges in pain control may prevent timely discharge (and expose patients to adverse effects of opioid use). We sought to evaluate whether our patients who underwent erector spinae plane (ESP) regional blocks experienced improved postoperative pain control and decreased opioid use after PCNL (compared with those who did not receive blocks).