Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has emerged as the standard surgical modality for pulmonary tumor. Compared with open thoracotomy, VATS is associated with reduced surgical trauma, attenuated postoperative pain, and a lower incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications. Nevertheless, 27-63% of VATS patients still develop moderate to severe postoperative pain, with the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) remaining at 25-44%.
Regional analgesic techniques constitute a pivotal component of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols in thoracic surgery. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and paravertebral block (PVB) have been regarded as the gold-standard regional analgesic modalities for open thoracotomy. Accumulating evidence indicates that erector spinae plane block (ESPB) achieves postoperative analgesic efficacy comparable to that of PVB. In contrast to TEA, both PVB and ESPB are associated with a lower risk of complications such as hypotension, urinary retention, and epidural hematoma.
A recent randomized controlled trial comparing continuous ESPB and continuous PVB demonstrated that continuous ESPB improves the quality of postoperative recovery in VATS patients. Previous studies have also confirmed that single-injection ESPB provides superior recovery quality and analgesic efficacy compared with single-injection PVB in VATS patients. However, single-dose nerve block only exert effects for 8-12 hours, while continuous nerve blocks may increase the risk of infection and compromise patient comfort. Moderate to severe postoperative pain in VATS patients predominantly occurs within the first 48 hours postoperatively, with the most intense pain typically observed on the first postoperative day. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore analgesic techniques with prolonged duration and fewer complications for application in VATS.
Liposomal bupivacaine, a novel extended-release local anesthetic approved by the FDA for clinical use, can prolong the duration of local anesthesia to 72 hours. Its clinical efficacy in procedures such as brachial plexus block has been validated. However, the application of liposomal bupivacaine in erector spinae plane block for VATS, and its impact on the quality of postoperative recovery, remains unreported.This study will test the hypothesis that erector spinae plane block with liposomal bupivacaine for VATS can enhance patients' quality of recovery-15 score (QoR-15) at 48 h.
18-75 yr of age
ASA physical status 1 to 3
Undergoing unilateral lung VATS under general anesthesia
Obtaining informed consent from patients or legal representative
Unexpected convention of VATS to open thoracotomy,or unexpected post-operative admission to ICU for continued ventilation
Unable to understand the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) and Numerical Rating Scale(NRS)
Allergy to or contraindications for amide local anesthetics,opioids,or NSAIDs
Long-term treatment with opioids or corticosteroids (>2 weeks)