Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31942313›Full record

ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2019

Erector Spinae Plane Block Decreases Pain and Opioid Consumption in Breast Surgery: Systematic Review.

Hassan ElHawary, Kenzy Abdelhamid, Fanyi Meng, Jeffrey E Janis

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
8.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. The Utility of Erector Spinae Plane Blocks in Breast Surgery: A Practical Review.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Use of Muscle Relaxants for Acute Postoperative Pain: A Practical Review.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2024
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
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  18. Article
  19. Multimodal Analgesia in the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery: Concepts and Strategies.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2022
    Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Hassan ElHawaryFaculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Kenzy AbdelhamidFaculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Fanyi MengDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jeffrey E JanisDepartment of Plastic Surgery, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio.
McGill University · CAMcGill University Health Centre · CAThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Adequate control of acute postoperative pain is crucial in breast surgeries, as it is a significant factor in the development of persistent chronic pain. Inadequate postoperative pain control increases length of hospital stays and risk of severe complications. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a novel regional block that has the ability to sufficiently block unilateral multidermatomal sensation from T1 to L3. By reviewing the literature on ESPB, this paper aimed to elucidate its efficacy in breast surgery analgesia and its role in addressing the opioid crisis in North America.

methodsPUBMED, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched for relevant articles according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria included any articles that described ESPB in breast surgery. Exclusion criteria composed of articles that exclusively discussed other kinds of regional blocks.

resultsThirty-two articles including 6 randomized controlled trials were included in this review. ESPB demonstrated superior pain control and less opioid consumption compared with tumescent anesthesia or using no block. However, ESPB showed lower efficacy in pain control compared with pectoral nerve block. Patients experienced less nausea and vomiting and were overall more satisfied with ESPB compared with other pain control modalities. The vast majority of the studies reported the ease of ESPB administration, and only 1 case presented with a complication.

conclusionsESPB is a promising form of regional anesthesia that can decrease postoperative pain and opioid consumption when used as part of multimodal pain analgesia for patients undergoing breast surgery.

Identifiers

PMID31942313
PMCPMC6908334
OpenAlexW2992882803

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.