PECS Block in Partial Mastectomy for Postoperative Pain Control

The aim of this study is to evaluate patients who are undergoing partial mastectomy or removal of breast tissue and see if a pectoralis nerve block (PECS) can provide a meaningful improvement in postoperative pain control over standard pain medication. The hope is that this will decrease the need for postoperative narcotics. Prior studies have shown improved pain control using a PECS block in patients who undergo a mastectomy. PECS block is a procedure in which local anesthesia, similar to that used by dentists, is injected in the muscles of your chest and arm pit during your surgical procedure while you are asleep. This anesthetizes the nerves in the area which decreases pain. The local anesthetic used is called Marcaine. Marcaine is the brand name for bupivacaine hydrochloride which is an anesthetic known for its long duration in comparison to lidocaine. It is known that postoperative pain is a risk factor for chronic pain which is tied to increased narcotic use. Due to the opioid epidemic considerable time and research has gone into decreasing opioid use particularly in post-operative period. The PECS block procedure involves injecting local anesthesia between two chest muscles called pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. There is an additional injection between the pectoralis minor and serratus anterior which is another muscle of the chest. This study will be conducted at Lankenau Medical Center of Main Line Health. You have been selected since you will be undergoing a partial mastectomy (removal of a part of your breast). It is believed that PECS block has the potential to benefit your postoperative pain control. A total of 130 patients will be recruited and 65 will be placed into the treatment arm (receive intraoperative nerve block) and 65 will be placed into the non- treatment arm (no nerve block) for comparison.