Analgesia and Safety of Perioperative Bilateral Erector Spinae Infusion versus Thoracic Epidural Infusion in Upper Abdominal Oncological Surgeries: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: Erector spinae plane block is a novel regional anaesthetic intervention that is said to have an effective analgesic profile in the upper abdominal region. We compared its analgesic efficacy with thoracic epidural block for upper abdominal cancer surgeries. Methods: This prospective study included 60 patients, 18 to 65 years old with ASA class II who underwent gastrectomy and Whipple’s procedures under general anesthesia. Patients were assigned into two groups: Thoracic epidural group, with injection of 0.1 ml/kg of bupivacaine 0.25% in epidural catheter followed by 0.1 ml/kg/h of 0.125% bupivacaine infusion for 48 hrs., and Erector spinae group, with insertion of bilateral erector spinae catheters to inject 0.1 ml/kg of bupivacaine 0.25% followed by bilateral infusion of 0.1 ml/kg/h of bupivacaine 0.125% for 48 hrs. The primary endpoint was postoperative VAS scores at rest and movement. Secondary endpoint included postoperative total opioid consumption, 1^st request for analgesia, hemodynamic changes and satisfaction scores. Results: Pain scores and needed rescue analgesia in both groups were comparable. However, 1^st request for opioid was significantly longer in TEPI compared to ESI group. Hemodynamics were significantly lower in TEPI group with no differences in the incidence of postoperative complications except for hypotension. Patient satisfaction scores were arbitrarily higher in ESI group without significance. Conclusion: Erector spinae infusion is a highly promising regional technique with comparable effects to thoracic epidural blockade in reducing pain and opioid needs while causing minimal hemodynamic consequences.