Feasibility of Serratus Plane Block Associated With Sedation in Axillary Dissection

INTRODUCTION: The axillary lymphadenectomy procedure is known to be associated with late postoperative complications, such as chronic pain and changes in shoulder mobility. Recently, several thoracic ultrasound guided interfascial blocks have been described, including serratus plane block. These blocks were associated with reduced postoperative pain scores in breast surgeries but were never evaluated in axillary dissection. The safety and feasibility of performing axillary dissection under local anesthesia and tumescent anesthesia associated with sedation has been demonstrated in case series, although it is not already the standard technique. DISCUSSION: This project aims to investigate the feasibility of the serratus plane block associated with intra-venous sedation in a prospective case series including 15 patients submitted to axillary dissection, by scoring patient and surgeon satisfaction with the technique, pain, quality of life with EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire, and quality of recovery with QoR-40 questionnaire in the first 30 postoperative days.