A single-center descriptive account of the use of pectoral nerve I and II nerve blocks for post-operative pain relief following pediatric sternotomy.

Regional anesthesia between the pectoralis major and minor was first described in 2011 as an alternative method to paravertebral blocks or epidurals for post-operative mastectomies. Since then, the use of pectoral nerve (PECS) blocks for post-operative pain management following thoracotomy, sternotomy, and other procedures in the anterior thorax has increased. While experience with this block is growing, the current understanding of its use in pediatric patients is limited. We reviewed pediatric cases at a single institution and provide a descriptive account of our use of PECS I and II blocks for post-operative pain management following operations involving sternotomy in pediatric patients. We performed a retrospective database analysis of the use of PECS I and II blocks following procedures requiring sternotomy from 2018 to 2021 at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Patients 21 years old and younger who received either a PECS I or II block following a sternotomy for a cardiac procedure were included in the analysis. Patient's demographics, pre-, intra-, and post-operative medications, operative time, extubation status, pain evaluations, and hospital course were assessed from the electronic medical record. From 2018 to 2021, 73 ultrasound-guided PECS blocks were performed for pain relief for pediatric sternotomy. The most commonly performed operations were atrial septal defect closure ( n  = 12), mitral valve repair ( n  = 8), and ventricle septal defect closure ( n  = 8). Out of the 73 patients, 47 received a PECS I block and 26 received a PECS II Block. 70 of the blocks were administered after closure of the sternum while 3 were done before incision. The time to perform blocks took on average of 6 (±4) min. Mean operating room time was 7.5 h. Local anesthetics used for the blocks were as follows: Ropivacaine 0.2% ( n  = 54), Ropivacaine 0.5% ( n  = 18), and Bupivacaine 0.25% ( n  = 1). Twenty-five out of 73 patients did not experience severe pain, defined as ≥7/10 on a numeric pain scale, at any point in the first 24 h following surgery. We describe the of use PECS I and II nerve block following pediatric sternotomy. Blocks were straight forward to perform, and typically took a short amount of time to administer (6 min), when compared to the total operating room time (7.5 h). While this study did not include a comparative group that did not receive a block, 34 percent of patients did not suffer from severe pain in the first 24 h following surgery. Further prospective studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of PECS blocks for pain relief following sternotomy in pediatric patients when compared to current standard of care. PECS blocks may be beneficial for a range of cardiac surgeries that typically result in severe postoperative pain.