The efficacy of paravertebral block evaluated by pain-related biomarkers and reactive oxygen species (ROS) following surgery for breast cancer: A randomized controlled study.

Background and Aims: Paravertebral block has been found to be a recommended method of analgesia for breast surgeries. We aimed to assess the efficacy of paravertebral block compared to morphine by means of the visual analogue scale (VAS), pain-related biomarkers, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in adult patients undergoing breast cancer surgeries under general anesthesia. Methodology: Forty patients undergoing breast surgery with or without lymph outcome were randomly divided into two groups. Group M received general anesthesia with intraoperative injection morphine (0.1 mg/kg) and group P received general anesthesia with paravertebral block with 0.25% bupivacaine (0.3 ml/kg). The primary objective was to compare the postoperative pain using VAS at baseline, 2 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours. Secondary objectives were to compare the levels of pain-related biomarkers and ROS in both the groups at baseline, 24 hours, and 48 hours and to study the correlation between the VAS and level of pain-related biomarkers and ROS. Results: There was no significant difference in the postoperative VAS scores in both the groups ( Conclusion: Paravertebral block is equally efficacious to intraoperative morphine for breast surgeries for postoperative analgesia. The biomarker levels were not significantly different when patients received paravertebral block or morphine.