SynthesisBMC anesthesiology2022
Effects of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia in cardiac surgery: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC anesthesiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 7 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Efficacy of Intermittent Superficial Parasternal Intercostal Plane Block on Postoperative Pain Control in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery With Median Sternotomy - EPOCH Randomized Clinical Trial
Determination of the Frequency and Affecting Factors of Chronic Postsurgical Pain After Cardiac Surgery: A Multicenter, Observational Study
Comparison of the Effects of Erector Spinae Plane Block and Transversus Thoracis Muscle Plane Block on Postoperative Recovery in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Surgery
Intertransverse Process Block to Improve Quality of Recovery After Cardiac Surgery With Sternotomy: a Prospective Randomised Controlled Trial
Intertransverse Process Block to Improve Quality of Recovery and Pain Management in Adult Cardiac Surgical Patients: a Prospective Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
The Effectiveness of the Modified Thoracoabdominal Nerve Block Through Perichondrial Approach (M-TAPA) on Postoperative Analgesia and Recovery in Open-Heart Surgery: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial
Sternotomi̇ ağrisinin yöneti̇mi̇nde transversus torasi̇k plan blok ve serratus anteri̇or plan blok kombi̇nasyonu i̇le erektör spi̇na plan blok etki̇nli̇ği̇ni̇n karşilaştirilmasi
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Pecto-Intercostal Fascia Plane Block in Reducing Total Postoperative Opioid Consumption in Cardiac Surgery Involving Sternotomy: A Meta-Analysis.Annals of cardiac anaesthesia · 2025Pooled it
- Opioid-Sparing Effects of Erector Spinae Plane Block in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with Median Sternotomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Cardiovascular drugs and therapy · 2026Trial
- Superficial Parasternal Intercostal Plane Block and Full Sternotomy; A Randomized Trial.European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery · 2025Trial
- The analgesic effects of combined bilateral parasternal block and serratus anterior plane block for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.BMC anesthesiology · 2024Trial
- The Role of Interfascial Plane Blocks in the Analgesia Management of High-risk Patients in Intensive Care Unit: M-TAPA and Pecto-intercostal Fascial Block after Simultaneous Liver Transplant Recipient and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery.Turkish journal of anaesthesiology and reanimation · 2026Article
- Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Analgesic Outcomes in Cardiac Surgery: Evaluating the Role of Nerve Block Techniques.The Clinical journal of pain · 2026Review
- Superficial parasternal intercostal plane block with ropivacaine versus placebo for opioid exposure after cardiac surgery (EPOCH CardioLink-10): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised trial.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Effects of Pecto-Intercostal Fascial Plane Blocks on Extubation Time in Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Goal-directed multimodal analgesia to enhance recovery after coronary artery bypass grafting: a retrospective cohort study.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2026Article
- Thoracic wall fascial plane blocks: a narrative review for breast, thoracic, and cardiac surgery.Journal of anesthesia, analgesia and critical care · 2025Review
- Thoracic Ultrasound-Guided Regional Nerve Blockade for Pain Management Following Open Heart Surgery in Children: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Analgesic Efficacy and Impact on Postoperative Opioid Requirements.Pediatric cardiology · 2025Review
- Thoracic Ultrasound-Guided Regional Nerve Blockade for Pain Management Following Open Heart Surgery in Children: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Analgesic Efficacy and Impact on Postoperative Opioid Requirements.Pediatric cardiology · 2025Review
- Local anesthetic dosing for fascial plane blocks to avoid systemic toxicity: a narrative review.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2025Review
- Ultrasound-Guided Deep Parasternal Intercostal Plane Block in Off-Pump Cardiac Arterial Bypass Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Single Center Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Pain Management in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: A Review of Current Clinical Evidence.Pain and therapy · 2025Review
- A Retrospective Review of the Deep Parasternal Intercostal Plane Block in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery with Median Sternotomy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Regional anesthesia for pediatric cardiac surgery: a review.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Review
- Perspectives on the Role of Thoracic Fascial Blocks in Cardiac Anaesthesia: Will They Represent a New Era?Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- The Role of Regional Anesthesia in ICU Pain Management.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe objective of this systematic review and network meta-analysis was to compare the effects of single-shot ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques on postoperative opioid consumption in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery.
methodsThis systematic review and network meta-analysis involved cardiac surgical patients (age > 18 y) requiring median sternotomy. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, and Web of Science. The effects of the single-shot ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia technique were compared with those of placebo and no intervention. We conducted a risk assessment of bias for eligible studies and assessed the overall quality of evidence for each outcome.
resultsThe primary outcome was opioid consumption during the first 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes were pain after extubation at 12 and 24 h, postoperative nausea and vomiting, extubation time, intensive care unit discharge time, and length of hospital stay. Fifteen studies with 849 patients were included. The regional anesthesia techniques included pecto-intercostal fascial block, transversus thoracis muscle plane block, erector spinae plane (ESP) block, and pectoralis nerve block I. All the regional anesthesia techniques included significantly reduced postoperative opioid consumption at 24 h, expressed as morphine milligram equivalents (MME). The ESP block was the most effective treatment (-22.93 MME [-34.29;-11.56]).
conclusionsIn this meta-analysis, we concluded that fascial plane blocks were better than placebo when evaluating 24 h MMEs. However, it is still challenging to determine which is better, given the paucity of studies available in the literature. More randomized controlled trials are required to determine which regional anesthesia technique is better.
trial registrationPROSPERO; CRD42022315497.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.