Preoperative ultrasound-guided bilateral thoracic erector spinae plane block within an enhanced recovery program is associated with decreased intraoperative lactate levels in cardiac surgery.

Introduction: In the perioperative period, regional analgesia techniques may play an increasingly important role in "Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)" programs, as they can facilitate recovery. We hypothesized that Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) block could improve regional perfusion, thereby limiting blood lactate increase. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of ESP block on intraoperative blood lactate levels in patients scheduled for elective on-pump cardiac surgery with ERAS protocol.

Methods: A total of 68 adult patients scheduled for on-pump cardiac surgery were included. All patients were randomized to the ESP group and the non-ESP group. Blood lactate analyses were performed at intraoperative five-time points. C-Reactive protein (CRP) values were also measured.

Results: Blood lactate values were significantly lower in the ESP group than in the Non-ESP group, at the end of CPB [1.78 (1.23-2.78) mmol L to 2.63 (1.70-3.12) mmol L] and during the sternal closure period [1.78 (1.27-2.42) mmol L to 2.40 (2.14-2.80) mmol L] ( = 0.039, = 0.009). In addition, CRP values were significantly lower in the ESP group in the postoperative period [0.048 (0.036-0.105) g L to 0.090 (0.049-0.154) g L] ( = 0.035).

Conclusions: This study showed that preoperative bilateral single-shot ESP block significantly reduces intraoperative final blood lactate and postoperative CRP values. We consider that these results are related to the attenuation of intraoperative hypoperfusion and the alleviation of surgery-related postoperative inflammation. ERAS programs aim to achieve the rapid recovery of patients, a decrease in inflammation, and high-quality analgesia with less opioid consumption. Therefore, our results also prove that it is easier to reach the primary goals of ERAS programs with the application of ESP block in cardiac surgery.