SynthesisFrontiers in medicine2026
Efficacy of serratus anterior plane block on postoperative nausea and vomiting: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial.
Synthesis in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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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6 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) still often occurs after surgery, which adversely affects recovery and patient satisfaction. Serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) has been proposed as a regional anesthesia technique that may reduce PONV indirectly by improving postoperative analgesia and decreasing perioperative opioid requirements. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to evaluate the impact of SAPB on PONV. From its establishment to April 20, 2026, the central register of PubMed, Embase, CNKI and Cochrane controlled trials was searched. Eligible studies include adults who underwent surgery under general anesthesia with a control group (placebo or no intervention). The main results are the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting; the secondary results include postoperative opioid consumption, pain score (visual analog scale, VAS), hospitalization time, the time of first rescue analgesia, and the incidence of headache or hypotension. Random effect element analysis was carried out to gather risk differences (RD) and standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Use GRADE to evaluate the certainty of evidence and apply test sequence analysis (TSA) to evaluate robustness. Results: Twenty RCTs involving 1,651 patients were included. Compared with control treatment, SAPB was associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative nausea (RD = -0.17; 95% CI: -0.23 to -0.11; Conclusion: SAPB appears to reduce postoperative opioid requirements and improve analgesia in patients undergoing breast and thoracic surgery. These benefits are associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative nausea and may contribute to enhanced recovery. However, the current evidence does not establish an independent direct antiemetic effect of SAPB, and the effect on postoperative vomiting should be interpreted cautiously. Further high-quality RCTs with standardized opioid and antiemetic protocols are needed to clarify the causal pathway between SAPB, opioid reduction, and PONV. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/CRD420261373467, identifier CRD420261373467.
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