Analgesic control with blockade of the thoracic transverse muscle plane in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery. Case report

Abstract

Cardiac surgery with sternotomy is related to a mechanism of intense trauma with the use of a large amount of opioids, which does not always provide good analgesic control, in addition to generating chemical dependence. The persistence of pain in the thoracic region in the postoperative period is common with conventional analgesia performed only with opioids, which slows the recovery, increasing costs and morbidity. New approaches to the analgesic control of these surgeries become important as they may be related to a better response to physiotherapy and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and, consequently, a shorter hospital stay, which would reduce the costs of the surgery in addition to ensuring a more comfortable postoperative period for patients. Blocking the thoracic transverse muscle plane has become a promising pioneering technique for analgesic control in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery. We describe a case report in which this block gave better postoperative analgesic control, compared to the usual care in the intensive care unit.