SynthesisMedicine2020
Clinical analgesic efficacy of pectoral nerve block in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia lumbar surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC anesthesiology · 2023Pooled it
- The postoperative analgesic efficacy of different regional anesthesia techniques in breast cancer surgery: A network meta-analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Analgesic efficacy and safety of erector spinae plane block in breast cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC anesthesiology · 2021Pooled it
- The MECDrug design, development and therapy · 2026Trial
- Comparison of Modified Pectoral Nerve Block and Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia and Surgical Stress Response Following Modified Radical Mastectomy: A Prospective, Randomised, Blinded Study.The breast journal · 2026Trial
- Regional anesthesia without opioid administration in mastectomy surgeries followed by breast reconstruction with implants: a randomized controlled study.Croatian medical journal · 2025Trial
- Feasibility and efficacy of routinary PECs 1 block on perioperative and postoperative pain control in breast surgery: a prospective non-controlled trial in a medium-volume breast unit.Updates in surgery · 2023Trial
- Impact of Pectoralis Nerve Block (PECS) on postoperative pain in patients submitted to mastectomy with lymphadenectomy.Revista do Colegio Brasileiro de Cirurgioes · 2022Trial
- Regional Fascial Plane Blocks and Early Postoperative Complications in Reduction Mammaplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Article
- A single-center descriptive account of the use of pectoral nerve I and II nerve blocks for post-operative pain relief following pediatric sternotomy.Paediatric & neonatal pain · 2023Article
- Chest Wall Nerve Blocks for Cardiothoracic, Breast Surgery, and Rib-Related Pain.Current pain and headache reports · 2022Review
- Efficacy of PECS block in addition to multimodal analgesia for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing outpatient elective breast surgery: A retrospective study.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Pain Control After Mastectomy in Transgender Patients: Ultrasound-guided Pectoral Nerve Block II Versus Conventional Intercostal Nerve Block: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Anesthesiology and pain medicine · 2021Article
- Review
- Practical Review of Abdominal and Breast Regional Analgesia for Plastic Surgeons: Evidence and Techniques.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBreast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and more than half of breast surgery patients experience severe acute postoperative pain. This meta-analysis is designed to examine the clinical analgesic efficacy of Pecs block in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery.
methodsAn electronic literature search of the Library of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was conducted to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to November 2018. These RCTs compared the effect of Pecs block in combination with general anesthesia (GA) to GA alone in mastectomy surgery. Pain scores, intraoperative and postoperative opioid consumption, time to first request for analgesia, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting were analyzed.
resultsThirteen RCTs with 940 patients were included in our analysis. The use of Pecs block significantly reduced pain scores in the postanesthesia care unit (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.90 to -0.91; P < .001) and at 24 hours after surgery (WMD = -1.01; 95% CI, -1.64 to -0.38; P < .001). Moreover, Pecs block decreased postoperative opioid consumption in the postanesthesia care unit (WMD = -1.93; 95% CI, -3.51 to -0.34; P = .017) and at 24 hours (WMD = -11.88; 95% CI, -15.50 to -8.26; P < .001). Pecs block also reduced intraoperative opioid consumption (WMD = -85.52; 95% CI, -121.47 to -49.56; P < .001) and prolonged the time to first analgesic request (WMD = 296.69; 95% CI, 139.91-453.48; P < .001). There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative nausea and vomiting and block-related complications.
conclusionsAdding Pecs block to GA procedure results in lower pain scores, less opioid consumption and longer time to first analgesic request in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery compared to GA procedure alone.
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Registered trials
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.