Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40728057›Full record

ArticlePain management2025

Postoperative pain outcome following a superficial parasternal intercostal plane block in children undergoing pediatric heart surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

Judith Stauff, Sebastian Kintrup, Markus Ramm, Andreas Brünen, Simone Ulrich, Edward Malec, Katarzyna Januszewska, Julia Stegger, Kerstin Trociewicz, Antje Gottschalk and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Pain management, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Fascial plane blocks in pediatric patients.Journal of anesthesia, analgesia and critical care · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
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

11 authors.

Judith StauffDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Münster, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.
Sebastian KintrupDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Münster, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.
Markus RammDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Andreas BrünenDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Münster, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.
Simone UlrichDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Münster, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.
Edward MalecDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, Polish Mother´s Memorial Hospital Research Institute, Lodz, Poland.
Katarzyna JanuszewskaDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, Polish Mother´s Memorial Hospital Research Institute, Lodz, Poland.
Julia SteggerDepartment of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Kerstin TrociewiczDepartment of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
Antje GottschalkDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Florence-Nightingale-Hospital, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Alexander SchnabelDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Münster, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAim of the present study was to investigate the postoperative pain outcome following the implementation of a superficial parasternal intercostal plane (SPIP) block in children undergoing cardiac surgery with a sternotomy.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study in children undergoing extracardiac Fontan operation or a secundum atrial septal defect closure receiving a SPIP in addition to standard pain treatment versus standard pain treatment only. The primary outcome was the worst pain intensity within 24 hours (median (interquartile range)).

resultsMean age of the study groups (54 patients each) was 3.22 years (±0.95), respectively 4.26 years (±2.76) in the control group. There was no statistically significant reduction in worst pain intensity 24 hours after surgery in children treated with a SPIP block (3(1-5)) compared to control group (4(2-5)) (p1-tailed = 0.16, d = 0.19). However, 4 and 12 hours after surgery there were significant improvements in median pain intensity in children treated with a SPIP block (p1-tailed = 0.04).

conclusionsThis study showed that implementation of a SPIP block might further improve postoperative pain management following cardiac surgery in children. However, due to lower baseline pain intensity in the control group primary outcome failed significantly. Therefore, further trials are urgently requested.

Indexed as

Cardiac Surgical ProceduresNerve BlockPostoperative PainChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesFemaleHumansInfantIntercostal NervesMalePain ManagementPain MeasurementRetrospective StudiesTreatment Outcomeintensive carepain managementpediatric cardiac surgeryPostoperative painregional anesthesia

Identifiers

PMID40728057
PMCPMC12691543

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.