Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound nerve block helps dogs during chest surgery pain
By Chohan, Amandeep S & Pypendop, Bruno·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Successful use of ultrasound guided pecto-intercostal fascial plane block to provide intraoperative analgesia in four dogs undergoing median sternotomy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Four dogs, including a Dalmatian, Beagle, Siberian Husky, and Rottweiler, were brought in with symptoms like lack of appetite, tiredness, and trouble breathing. After various tests, three were found to have fluid in their chest due to lung infections, while one had a collapsed lung. During surgery to explore their chests, a special pain relief technique called a pecto-intercostal fascial plane block was used, which helped reduce their need for anesthesia and pain medication. This approach not only made the surgery easier for the dogs but also improved their recovery afterward.
People also search for: dog respiratory distress treatment · dog chest surgery pain relief · pecto-intercostal block for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of pecto-intercostal fascial plane block on providing intraoperative analgesia in dogs undergoing median sternotomy. ANIMALS: 4 dogs. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The dogs were presented with a history of inappetence, lethargy and respiratory distress. Thoracic radiographs, point of care ultrasound, thoracocentesis, bronchoscopy and computed tomography was performed to characterize the disease. RESULTS: 4 male castrated, 5.3 ± 3 years old dogs weighing 19.7 ± 13.5 kg and belonging to Dalmatian, Beagle, Siberian Husky and Rottweiler breeds were included. Three dogs were diagnosed with suppurative pleural effusions because of pulmonary abscesses and one dog with spontaneous pneumothorax due to the presence of pulmonary bullae. All dogs underwent median sternotomy under general anesthesia to explore the thorax. A pecto-intercostal fascial plane block was performed by injecting local anesthetic bupivacaine in the parasternal fascial plane between the deep pectoral and external intercostal muscles to provide antinociception by anesthetizing ventral cutaneous branches of intercostal nerves second through sixth. Analgesia from the block resulted in reduced requirement of inhalant anesthesia and minimal requirement for opioid to augment analgesia intraoperatively. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Median sternotomy is required to perform thoracic surgery in dogs with various thoracic pathologies. Pecto-intercostal fascial plane block is a locoregional technique that can blunt nociception arising from the ventral thorax and can significantly improve perioperative patient care in dogs undergoing median sternotomy by providing effective intraoperative and potentially postoperative analgesia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39111330/