Regional anesthesia in coronary artery bypass grafting: a narrative review

Abstract

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is one of the most frequently performed procedures in modern cardiac surgery because it is indicated in most patients with coronary artery disease. Currently, there are no standard methods for regional anesthesia in cardiac surgery. The purpose of this review was to describe the available techniques for regional anesthesia in post-CABG. Studies published in the databases PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Russian science citation index were included. Techniques reported in the literature were local blockade of the postoperative wound with local anesthetics in the anteromedial chest wall (parasternal-intercostal plane blocks), anterolateral chest wall (interpectoral plane blocks, serratus anterior plane block), and posterolateral chest wall (erector spinae plane block, thoracic paravertebral block, retrolaminar block, rhomboid intercostal block). Numerous studies demonstrate that the use of regional anesthesia as a component of multimodal anesthesia after coronary artery bypass grafting significantly improves pain relief. Blockade of the peripheral nerves of the chest wall under ultrasound guidance can be considered not only as an alternative to epidural anesthesia when not indicated or not feasible. It also contributes to early tracheal extubation, reduced duration of mechanical ventilation, adequate pain control, and a decrease in the need for narcotic analgesics, reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting, and reduced length of stay in the intensive care unit. Further research is needed to determine the optimal technique for performing interfascial blockades of the chest wall post-CABG, which would require data on the effectiveness, safety, and dosing regimen for each specific blockade.