Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41684104›Full record

Trial reportAnnals of medicine2026

Dexamethasone as an adjuvant to continuous erector spinae plane block for postoperative analgesia after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary nodule surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Liang Fang, Haolin Zhang, Jia Nie, Yiyong Wei, Huanhuan Ma, Peng Lu, Yu Zhang, Wei Chen, Haiying Wang

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Annals of medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

9 authors.

Liang FangDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
Haolin ZhangDepartment of Anaesthesiology, Army Medical University Xinqiao Hospital, Chongqing, China.
Jia NieDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
Yiyong WeiDepartment of Anesthesiology, Longgang District Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Longgang Maternity and Child Institute of Shantou University Medical College), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Huanhuan MaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
Peng LuDepartment of Anaesthesiology, Army Medical University Xinqiao Hospital, Chongqing, China.
Yu ZhangDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
Wei ChenDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
Haiying WangDepartment of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhile dexamethasone is proven to enhance single-shot erector spinae plane block (ESPB), its role as an adjuvant in continuous ESPB catheters is unclear. This randomised controlled trial evaluated whether adding dexamethasone to ropivacaine improves analgesia after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

methods85 patients undergoing VATS with continuous ESPB were randomised to receive postoperative infusion of either 0.2% ropivacaine(C-ESPB group) or ropivacaine with 10 mg dexamethasone(D + C-ESPB group). The primary outcome was resting pain visual analog scale (VAS)at 12 h postoperatively, while secondary outcomes included QoR-15 scores, tramadol consumption, time to first analgesic requirement, postoperative adverse events, 3-month incidence of chronic pain, catheter-related complications, pain intensity at other times, and hospital stay.

resultsThe D + C-ESPB group had significantly lower resting pain at 12 h [2.56 (1.03) vs 3.24 (1.21), mean difference -0.680,

conclusionDexamethasone significantly enhances the analgesic efficacy of continuous ESPB, improving early pain control, recovery quality, and opioid-sparing after VATS, but does not reduce the incidence of chronic persistent surgical pain.

Indexed as

DexamethasoneNerve BlockPostoperative PainThoracic Surgery, Video-AssistedAgedAnesthetics, LocalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementParaspinal MusclesRopivacaineTreatment OutcomeAnesthetics, LocalDexamethasoneRopivacaineCatheterdexamethasoneerector spinae plane blockpostoperative painquality of recoveryvideo-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Identifiers

PMID41684104
PMCPMC12912211

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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.