Analgesic Effectiveness of Perioperative Ultrasound-Guided Serratus Anterior Plane Block Combined with General Anesthesia in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective To investigate whether perioperative ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) combined with general anesthesia is more effective and safer than current analgesic techniques for postoperative analgesia after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Methods PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched for clinical trials published up to July 31, 2019. Outcomes, including operative duration, postoperative pain scores, postoperative analgesia use, patient satisfaction with analgesia, time to chest tube removal, length of stay, and adverse effects were analyzed. Results Four clinical trials, including 262 patients, met inclusion criteria. Ultrasound-guided SAPB reduced pain scores at zero, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes in the postoperative anesthesia care unit (all P < 0.05) and at one, two, six, 12, and 24 hours in the ward (all P < 0.001). Additionally, postoperatively, morphine consumption at 15 and 30 minutes, overall morphine consumption, and total consumption (morphine plus tramadol) were significantly lower in the SAPB cohort (P < 0.05). Similarly, postoperative tramadol consumption at one, two, six, 12, and 24 hours was also lower in this cohort (all P < 0.05). The postoperative consumption of fentanyl, tramadol, and total morphine in patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) at 24 hours was significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Moreover, SAPB provided better patient satisfaction with analgesia (P = 0.0038). However, no statistically significant difference was found in duration of operation, time to chest tube removal, length of stay, or side effects (all P > 0.05). Conclusions Perioperative ultrasound-guided SAPB combined with general anesthesia provided more effective postoperative analgesia after VATS. However, no significant advantage was found regarding side effects.