Added nerve block was linked to shorter intensive care stays after heart surgery
A meta-analysis comparing combined anesthesia with general anesthesia alone found shorter intensive care stays and lower postoperative pain and opioid use.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Adding a serratus anterior plane block to general anesthesia was associated with shorter intensive care stays, lower postoperative pain scores and less opioid use in the pooled studies. The review included both randomized and observational designs, so the combined estimate should not be read as a guaranteed result for every cardiac surgery patient.
The abstract does not give results separately by study design or age, or specify follow-up periods. These omissions limit interpretation of the pooled estimate for a particular patient.
What researchers found
Intensive care length of stay
After cardiac surgery, nerve block plus general anesthesia versus general anesthesia alone; mean difference, 95% CI -10.91 to -2.32 hours.
Pain and medication outcomes
The analysis also reported lower pain scores and less pain-medication use, measured in morphine equivalents. These are separate postoperative outcomes, and the abstract does not explain differences in care protocols.
Safety reporting has limits
No local-anesthetic toxicity or deaths were reported. Complications were less frequent with combined anesthesia, but the abstract does not identify complication types or establish that the block is risk-free.
The original publication
The efficacy and safety of serratus anterior plane block in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Cui XB, Cui MZ, Yang QJ et al.
Medicine (Baltimore) · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41824832
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.