Hulya Y. Ak, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Kubra Taskin, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Merve B. Yediyildiz, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Irem Durmus, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Ozlem Sezen, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Baris Sandal, Department of Biostatistics, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
Banu Cevik, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Pectoral Nerve Block 2 (PECS-2) and Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESP), which are accepted to have an effect on post-operative pain control after breast cancer surgery, on both acute and chronic pain. Method: In this double-blind, prospective, randomized study, patients were randomized using a sealed envelope method into two groups: those who underwent PECS-2 (Group P) and those who underwent ESP (Group E) before extubation at the end of the operation. The numerical rating scale (NRS) of patients was queried by a blinded researcher at post-operative 1, 2, 6, 12, and 24 h. In addition, patients were queried for the presence of chronic pain at the 3rd month using NRS. Results: The NRS scores at 1 h and 2 h in Group P were significantly lower compared to Group E. There was no significant difference in NRS scores at 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h between the groups. The rate of chronic pain was similar between the groups. Conclusion: In this study examining the effects of ESP and PECS-2 on acute and chronic pain after BCS due to breast cancer, PECS-2 was associated with less post-operative pain.
Keywords: Breast-conserving surgery. Chronic post-operative pain. Nerve block. Pain. Post-operative pain. Ultrasonography.