Title
Effect of serratus anterior plane block versus fentanyl for postoperative pain control and stress response after minimally invasive cardiac surgery: Randomised controlled stud
Authors
Saurabh Varshney, Yogesh Narwat & Anand Prasoon*
Affiliation
Department of Anaesthesiology, Graphic Era Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India; *Corresponding author
Saurabh Varshney - E-mail: saurabhvarshney_09@yahoo.com; Phone: +91
76076 64488
Yogesh Narwat - E-mail: narwat28@gmail.com; Phone: +91 78309 66966
Anand Prasoon - E-mail: luckyanand333@gmail.com; Phone: +91 84477
26027
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received March 1, 2026; Revised March 31, 2026; Accepted March 31, 2026, Published March 31, 2026
Abstract
Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) causes significant intercostal pain managed traditionally with opioids, risking nausea, hypoventilation and delayed recovery. Therefore, it is of interest to compare ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block (SAPB, n=60) versus fentanyl-based analgesia (n=60) in 120 adults undergoing right mini-thoracotomy MICS. SAPB significantly reduced 24-hour opioid requirements (12mg [IQR 8-18] versus 22mg [IQR 15-30] morphine equivalents; p<0.001) and lowered pain scores at rest/coughing (6/12h, all p<0.01). SAPB attenuated stress response (6h cortisol 18.4±6.2 versus 24.9±7.1 ug/dL, p<0.001; IL-6 68 versus 102 pg/mL, p=0.002) and reduced postoperative nausea/vomiting (PONV) (18% versus 35%) without block complications. Thus, we show SAPB as an effective opioid-sparing analgesic technique that enhances recovery and comfort in MICS patients.
Keywords
Surgical stress response; cortisol; drug crook; interleukin-6; postoperative pain; cardiac fitness surgery; fentanyl; serratus anterior plane block (SAPB); minimal invasive cardiac surgery (MICS)
Citation
Varshney et al. Bioinformation 22(3): 1388-1393 (2026)
Edited by
Vini Mehta
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
