Trial reportInternational journal of surgery (London, England)2025
Impact of pecto-intercostal fascial block on postoperative fatigue in elderly patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in International journal of surgery (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Pectoral-Intercostal Fascial Block for the Prevention of Chronic Postsurgical Pain in Elderly Patients Undergoing Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A 2×2 Factorial, Double-Blinded, Randomized Clinical Trial.Clinical interventions in aging · 2026Trial
- Postoperative complications of coronary artery bypass grafting: a narrative review on pathophysiology, management strategies, and the emerging role of artificial intelligence.Cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy · 2026Review
- Effect of Dexmedetomidine Combined with Esketamine on Postoperative Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Single-Center Randomized Double-Blinded Controlled Trial.Therapeutics and clinical risk management · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPostoperative fatigue syndrome (POFS) is a common yet often under-recognized consequence of surgical interventions, particularly in cardiac surgery. POFS is associated with prolonged recovery times, extended hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. Current strategies for preventing POFS have demonstrated limited success. This study aims to evaluate the impact of pecto-intercostal fascial block (PIFB) on the incidence of POFS in elderly patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
methodsIn this randomized controlled trial, 110 elderly patients scheduled for off-pump CABG surgery were randomly assigned to either the PIFB group ( n = 55; 0.4% ropivacaine) or the control group ( n = 55; normal saline). The primary outcome was the incidence of POFS, which was assessed using the ICFS-10 scale. Secondary outcomes included postoperative pain scores, opioid consumption, extubation time, duration of ICU and hospital stay, and Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) scores.
resultsThe incidence of POFS was significantly lower in the PIFB group compared to the control group on postoperative days 1 (69.0% vs. 92.7%, P = 0.004), 3 (63.6% vs. 83.6%, P = 0.030), and 5 (52.7% vs. 72.7%, P = 0.048), with no significant differences observed by day 7 and 8 weeks. Pain scores were also markedly lower in the PIFB group at three time points: immediately after extubation, 12 hours post-surgery, and 24 hours post-surgery ( P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.002, respectively). Furthermore, opioid consumption was reduced by an average of 11.1 mg ( P < 0.001). Patients in the PIFB group experienced significantly shorter extubation times (5.5 ± 1.8 hours vs. 8.6 ± 2.1 hours, P < 0.001), ICU stays (31.8 ± 7.3 hours vs. 39.4 ± 7.5 hours, P < 0.001), and hospital stays (8.2 ± 1.1 days vs. 8.8 ± 1.2 days, P = 0.007). QoR-15 scores were significantly higher in the PIFB group on postoperative days 1, 3, and 5 ( P < 0.001, P = 0.003, and P = 0.037, respectively). Notably, no PIFB-related adverse events were reported in either group.
conclusionsPIFB significantly alleviated early POFS, enhanced pain management, reduced opioid consumption, and accelerated recovery, thereby improving the overall quality of recovery in elderly patients undergoing off-pump CABG.
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