Background: Pectoral plane blocks are routinely used in analgesia for patients undergoing dual-plane breast augmentation with implants. Local anesthetic infiltration is a simple alternative technique with the same aim. The authors evaluated both techniques.
Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, patients received pectoral plane block (ropivacaine 0.2%, 10 ml for pectoral plane I; 20 ml for pectoral plane II) or local anesthetic infiltration. The primary outcome measure was pain, according to the visual analogue scale, at 24 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes included the measure of pain at 1, 2, 6, and 12 hours after surgery; total opioid consumption at 24 hours; and opioid side effects.
Results: Eighty-one patients were finally recruited: 37 in the pectoral plane group and 44 in the local anesthetic infiltration group. Patient characteristics were comparable between the two groups. At 24 hours after surgery, the local anesthetic infiltration group showed a decrease in pain, with a visual analogue scale score of 0.7 versus 1.5 in the pectoral plane group ( p = 0.007). There was no difference in visual analogue scale score between the two groups at 1, 2, 6, or 12 hours after surgery. The duration of anesthesia was increased in the pectoral plane group, with 153 minutes versus 120 minutes in the local anesthetic infiltration group ( p < 0.001). There was no difference in rescue morphine consumption between the two groups.
Conclusions: The authors found that local anesthetic infiltration had a superior analgesic effect at 24 hours after surgery for dual-plane breast implant augmentation compared with pectoral plane block. These findings are a good indication that the local anesthetic infiltration technique is at least as effective as pectoral plane block while being safe, fast, and easy to use.
Clinical question/level of evidence: Therapeutic, III.
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