Effect of Stellate Ganglion Block on Postoperative Pain in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative ultrasound-guided left stellate ganglion block (SGB) on postoperative pain and opioid consumption in patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) for obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Patients and Methods: Sixty patients scheduled for UPPP were randomly assigned to receive either preoperative ultrasound-guided left SGB with 6 mL of 1% lidocaine (SGB group, n=30) or no block (Control group, n=30). The primary outcome was postoperative pain intensity measured by the visual analog scale (VAS) at extubation, 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative sufentanil consumption, number of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) attempts, hemodynamic parameters, and incidence of postoperative complications. Results: There was no significant difference in VAS scores and postoperative complications between the two groups at each time point after surgery, but compared with the control group, the intraoperative sufentanil dosage, postoperative PCA compression times in SGB group were significantly reduced (all p<0.05). Conclusion: Preoperative ultrasound-guided left SGB did not significantly reduce postoperative VAS scores in OSAHS patients undergoing UPPP, but it effectively decreased intraoperative opioid use, postoperative analgesic demand. SGB may serve as a valuable adjunct in multimodal analgesia to improve perioperative outcomes in this patient population.