Efficacy of inter scalene regional block in shoulder surgery A single-center observational study.

Abstract

Introduction: Interscalene block (IEB) is a regional block that provides anesthesia and analgesia for shoulder surgery. This study aimed to determine the usefulness and efficiency of IEB in treating postoperative pain after shoulder surgery.

Methods: The present observational study was conducted at the Alcívar Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from January to September 2022 with patients undergoing shoulder surgery, classified as Group 1: general anesthesia + EIB and Group 2: without EIB. The variables recorded were age, pain with a subjective rating scale (SRS), and subjective satisfaction (SS). The means were compared with Student’s t-test, and the proportions were compared with the chi-square test.

Results: The study included 20 patients in each group. The analysis of postoperative pain at rest in 24 hours was EVS percentile 75 of Group 1: 1; in Group 2, it was 2. Pain in movement was EVS of 2.25 in Group 1 and 3 for Group 2 (P<0.05). The need for rescue occurred in 2 cases (5%) in Group 1 and 5 cases (12.5%) in Group 2 (P<0.05). Nausea and vomiting did not occur in group 1, and 8 patients (20%) did not occur in group 2 (P <0.05). The surgical time in Group 1 was 125 min, and in Group 2, it was 116 min (P>0.05). The length of stay was 36 hours in Group 1 and 60 hours in Group 2 (P<0.05).

Conclusions: IEB produces better anesthesia, better shoulder movement in the postoperative period, and a shorter hospital stay.