Evaluation of Pain Relief and Opioid Consumption With the Addition of an Erector Spinae Plane Catheter Block After an Interscalene Nerve Block in Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.

Background: The effects of the erector spinae plane (ESP) block and interscalene nerve block (ISNB) on arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR) have been investigated separately. Purpose: To evaluate whether additional catheterization for the ESP block can decrease acute postoperative pain and opioid consumption above the ISNB and multimodal oral analgesics in patients after arthroscopic RCR. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Included were patients who underwent primary arthroscopic RCR between January 1 and December 31, 2021, and received either ISNB (ISNB group) or additional ESP block catheterization (ESP block group) as part of their pain management. Patients who underwent concomitant shoulder procedures were excluded. Patient characteristics, surgical details, pre- and postoperative numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) scores, rescue analgesic use, and possible opioid-related side effects were recorded. The primary outcome was the NPRS score immediately after surgery; secondary outcomes included rescue opioid use and opioid-related side effects until patients were discharged the next day. The Mann-Whitney Results: A total of 54 patients were included-21 in the ISNB group and 33 in the ESP block group. The ESP block group exhibited significantly lower postoperative NPRS scores (2 ± 0.3 vs 3 ± 1.6 for ISNB; Conclusion: The study findings indicated that additional catheterization for the ESP block reduced postoperative pain, opioid consumption, and opioid-related side effects during the acute postoperative period of arthroscopic RCR when the ISNB and multimodal oral analgesics had already been administered. Future studies are needed to evaluate this treatment protocol.