Analgesic efficacy of erector spinae plane block versus paravertebral block in lung surgeries-A non-inferiority randomised controlled trial.

Background: Pain management plays an essential role in postoperative recovery after lung surgeries. The Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) is a widely used regional anaesthesia technique; however, few clinical trials have compared this block to active control in thoracic surgeries. This study evaluated the non-inferiority of the analgesia provided by ESPB when compared to paravertebral block (PVB) in lung surgeries.

Methods: Randomised, active-controlled, blinded for patients and assessors, non-inferiority trial. Patients who underwent unilateral lung surgeries were divided into two groups according to the regional anaesthesia technique-continuous ESPB or PVB at the T5 level. The primary outcome was to assess pain using a numerical rating scale (NRS) with a test of the interaction of three measures over 24 h postoperatively. An NRS score ≥ 7 was considered analgesia failure, and the prespecified non-inferiority margin was 10%.

Results: In the interim analysis that terminated this study, 120 participants were enrolled. ESPB patients reported higher mean NRS general values over 24 h, 4.6 ± 3.2 in the ESPB group versus 3.9 ± 2.9 in the PVB group, with a difference of -0.67 (-15.2%) and 95%CI: -1.29 to -0.05 (p = .02), demonstrating not non-inferiority. In addition, the ESPB group presented higher NRS failure of analgesia over 24 h (p < .01) and required more postoperative opioids (p = .01 over 24 h). There was no difference in patient satisfaction between groups.

Conclusion: This trial demonstrated that a continuous erector spinae plane block was not non-inferior to a continuous paravertebral block for analgesia after lung surgery but resulted in higher levels of postoperative pain and opioid consumption.