Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39020130›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society2024

Efficacy and safety of the serratus anterior plane block (SAP block) for pain management in patients with multiple rib fractures in the emergency department: a retrospective study.

Sossio Serra, Domenico Pietro Santonastaso, Giuseppe Romano, Alessandro Riccardi, Stefano Geniere Nigra, Emanuele Russo, Mario Angelini, Vanni Agnoletti, Mario Guarino, Claudia Sara Cimmino and 3 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07032766 (Assessment of Morbidity and Mortality Following Serratus Anterior Plane Block), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT07032766 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Assessment of Morbidity and Mortality Following Serratus Anterior Plane Block (SAPB) for Unilateral Rib Fractures

TypeobservationalSponsorAlbert Einstein College of MedicineRan2025 to 2027Enrolled220ConditionsPain Management, Rib Fracture Multiple, Serratus Anterior Plane Block
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Observational
  3. Early treatment goal uncertainty as a barrier to regional analgesia and respiratory deterioration in traumatic rib fractures: a propensity-weighted analysis.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2026
    Observational
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
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

13 authors.

Sossio SerraEmergency Department, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
Domenico Pietro SantonastasoAnestesia and Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
Giuseppe RomanoEmergency Department, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
Alessandro RiccardiSC Pronto Soccorso e Medicina d'Urgenza, Ospedale Santa Corona, Pietra Ligure, Savona, 17027, Italy.
Stefano Geniere NigraEmergency Department, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
Emanuele RussoAnestesia and Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
Mario AngeliniEmergency Department, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
Vanni AgnolettiAnestesia and Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, 47521, Italy.
Mario GuarinoUOC MEU Ospedale CTO-AORN dei Colli Napoli, Napoli, 80131, Italy.
Claudia Sara CimminoUOC MEU Ospedale CTO-AORN dei Colli Napoli, Napoli, 80131, Italy.
Michele Domenico SpampinatoDepartment of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, University of Ferrara, Via A. Moro 8, Ferrara, 44124, Italy. spmmhl@unife.it.
Raffella FrancesconiStruttura Complessa di Medicina di Emergenza Urgenza Ospedale Maria Vittoria, ASL Città di Torino, Torino, 10144, Italy.
Fabio De IacoDepartment of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, University of Ferrara, Via A. Moro 8, Ferrara, 44124, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeChest trauma is a severe and frequent cause of admission to the emergency department (ED). The serratus anterior plane (SAP) block seems to be an effective method of pain management; however, data on efficacy and safety of a single SAP block performed in the ED by emergency physicians (EP) are limited. This study aimed to compare SAP block performed by the EP in the ED plus standard therapy to standard therapy alone in terms of pain severity at 0-3-6-12-18 and 24 h, total opioid consumption (milligrams of morphine equivalents, MME), respiratory function (SpO2/FiO2 ratio), and adverse events (i.e. pneumothorax, infections in the site of injection, or Local Anaesthetic Systemic Toxicity syndrome due to SAP block) in the first 24 h.

methodsThis retrospective, monocentric study included adult patients admitted to the Sub-intensive Care Unit (SICU) of the ED with multiple rib fractures between 01/2022 and 03/2023.

results156 patients (65.4% male; median age 62 years; median injury severity score 16; median thoracic trauma severity score 8) were included. 75 (48.2%) underwent SAP block. Patients undergoing SAP block showed significantly less pain 3-6-18 h after a single block, required less MME (0 [0-20] vs. 20 [0-40], p < 0.001), showed higher SpO2/FiO2 ratio, and no adverse events were reported.

conclusionThe SAP block, in combination with standard therapy, appeared to be more effective in providing pain relief than standard therapy alone in patients admitted to the SICU for traumatic rib fractures.

Indexed as

Anesthetics, LocalEmergency Service, HospitalNerve BlockPain ManagementPain MeasurementRib FracturesAdultAgedAnalgesics, OpioidFemaleFractures, MultipleHumansInjury Severity ScoreMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAnalgesics, OpioidAnesthetics, LocalChest traumaEmergency medicinePain managementSAP blockStopthepainTrauma

Identifiers

PMID39020130
PMCPMC11666617

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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.