SynthesisMedicine2026
The efficacy and safety of serratus anterior plane block in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSerratus anterior plane block (SAPB) is a widely used fascial block that reduces postoperative pain and perioperative opioid consumption. This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of SAPB in cardiac surgery patients.
methodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases on May 10, 2024. Pooled relative risks and mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for dichotomous and continuous outcomes, respectively. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic, and publication bias was evaluated using Egger test. Subgroup analyses were stratified by study design (randomized controlled trials vs cohort studies) and patient age to explore methodological heterogeneity.
resultsFifteen studies, encompassing 1169 adult and pediatric participants, were included. Overall, compared to general anesthesia (GA) alone, the SAPB + GA group significantly reduced intensive care unit length of stay (MD = -6.61 hours, 95% CI: -10.91 to -2.32), decreased postoperative analgesic consumption (MD = -4.20 mg morphine equivalents, 95% CI: -6.52 to -1.88), and lowered the risk of complications (relative risk = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.40-0.99). SAPB + GA also lowered postoperative Visual Analogue Scale pain scores (MD = -1.25, 95% CI: -1.74 to -0.75) and serum cortisol levels (MD = -35.43 nmol/L, 95% CI: -58.58 to -12.27). No local anesthetic toxicity or mortality was reported.
conclusionsPerioperative SAPB combined with GA provides significant benefits in cardiac surgery, including accelerated intensive care unit discharge, reduced opioid use and pain scores, attenuated stress response (reduced cortisol), and favorable safety, which supports enhanced patient recovery.
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