ArticleRespiration; international review of thoracic diseases2026
Placebo versus Erector Spinae Plane Block for Medical Thoracoscopy Study (PAINLESS).
Article in Respiration; international review of thoracic diseases, 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
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- A Review of Analgesic and Anaesthetic Approaches in Local Anaesthetic (Medical) Thoracoscopy.Pulmonary therapy · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionPost-procedural pain is the most common complication following medical thoracoscopy (MT), and can lead to increased morbidity, delayed recovery and decreased patient satisfaction. Effective pain management is essential to optimize patient recovery. This study evaluates the efficacy of the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) with bupivacaine for pain reduction after MT.
methodsThis prospective, triple-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at a single center. Patients undergoing MT for pleural biopsy without pleurodesis were randomized to receive either ESPB with bupivacaine or placebo. The primary outcome was post-procedure pain, measured using Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included numerical pain scores post-procedure and at 24-h follow-up, analgesic needs, and quality of recovery post-procedure and at 24-h follow-up.
resultsAt the time of an interim analysis, the study was terminated prematurely due to a lack of perceived clinical benefit and development of provider bias. A total of 33 patients completed the protocol. There was no significant difference in post-procedure VAS pain scores between the bupivacaine and placebo groups (median 33 mm vs. 37.5 mm, p = 0.890). Similarly, no significant differences were observed in post-procedure (median 4 vs. 4, p = 0.485) and 24-h numerical pain scores (median 4 vs. 4, p = 0.556), opioid requirement (p = 0.343), or quality of recovery (QoR-15) (p = 0.547).
conclusionESPB with bupivacaine may not reduce post-MT pain. The role of regional anesthesia for intraprocedural analgesia or post-procedure analgesia in patients undergoing pleurodesis during MT should be further investigated.
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