Deep Serratus Anterior Plane Block vs Surgically-placed Paravertebral Block for VATS Surgery

Thoracic surgery, and surgery involving the chest wall in general, is associated with poorly controlled acute pain, which may result in delayed functional recovery, and may progress to chronic pain. Multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia regimens are a key component of the thoracic surgery enhanced recovery pathway, the aim of which is to improve outcomes in patients undergoing both minimally invasive and open thoracic surgical procedures. Novel interfascial plane blocks are emerging as feasible alternatives to central neuraxial analgesia techniques in a variety of clinical settings. The aim of this study is to show non-inferiority of serratus anterior blockade compared with surgically placed paravertebral blocks in the management of perioperative acute pain in patients undergoing VATS procedures.