A Comparison of Two Regional Techniques for Bariatric Sleeve Gastrectomy

Regional anaesthetic techniques, or nerve blocks, are commonly used to provide postoperative pain relief for patients undergoing surgery. At present in University Hospital Galway, it is standard practice for patients undergoing bariatric sleeve gastrectomy surgery to receive a regional anaesthetic technique to improve their postoperative pain. There are a number of different regional anaesthetic options available for this surgery, but as yet, published evidence regarding which specific approach confers most benefit for patients is lacking. This study aims to compare two regional anaesthetic techniques - erector spinae plane blockade versus serratus anterior plane blockade plus subcostal transversus abdominus plane blockade - and assess if one approach provides a superior quality of recovery postoperatively for sleeve gastrectomy patients over the other.