SynthesisEuropean surgical research. Europaische chirurgische Forschung. Recherches chirurgicales europeennes2026
Brachial Plexus Blockage versus General Anesthesia for Upper Extremity Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in European surgical research. Europaische chirurgische Forschung. Recherches chirurgicales europeennes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The Impact of Sex on the Median Effective Dose of Dexmedetomidine for Preoperative Sedation in Adults Undergoing Upper Limb Surgery: An Up-and-Down Sequential Allocation Study.Drug design, development and therapy · 2026Article
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8 authors.
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Abstract
introductionThis meta-analysis investigated differences in rebound pain and opioid consumption when using brachial plexus blockade (BPB) versus general anesthesia (GA) for upper limb surgery.
methodsFour databases were searched. Odds ratios (OR), mean differences (MD), and standard mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Outcomes included were pain, opioid consumption, adverse events, and discharge time. The risk of bias was assessed.
resultsNine clinical trials involving 487 patients were included. BPB resulted in significantly lower pain scores within 2 h postoperatively (MD -4.57, 95% CI -5.76 to 3.38; participants = 263; studies = 5; I2 = 0%; p < 0.00001) but not from 6 to 24 h. Opioid consumption (mg) was lower in the BPB group in the first 24 h (SMD -0.85, 95% CI -1.41 to -0.29; participants = 188; studies = 3; I2 = 67%; p < 0.003). BPB was associated with fewer postoperative nausea/vomiting events (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.10-0.33; participants = 326; studies = 6; I2 = 45%; p < 0.00001) and shorter hospital stay (SMD -1.20, 95% CI -1.73 to -0.66; participants = 213; studies = 4; I2 = 69%; p < 0.0001). There was no difference in the number of patients not requiring opioids from 24 to 48 h.
conclusionsBPB provided superior pain control at 2 h postoperatively and was associated with reduced opioid use, fewer adverse events, and shorter discharge time. No significant differences in pain scores were observed at 6-24 h or beyond 24 h, likely due to block wear-off. Despite this limitation, BPB still offered perioperative advantages over GA.
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