Background:

Erector spinae plane block, a novel ultrasound-guided fascial plane block, has become popular for perioperative pain management. This randomized controlled trial tested the hypothesis that preoperative bilateral erector spinae plane block improves the quality of recovery in patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion.

Methods:

Eighty-four patients scheduled for elective posterior lumbar interbody fusion were enrolled. Patients were randomly administered either ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane blocks using 20 ml of 0.375% ropivacaine on each side (ESPB group, n = 42) or no block (control group, n = 42) after anesthesia induction. The primary outcome was the quality of recovery 24 h postoperatively, assessed using the 15-item quality of recovery questionnaire.

Results:

The global postoperative 24-h quality of recovery-15 score was 117 [114-121] in the erector spinae plane block group and 108 [105-111] in the control group, with a median difference of 9 (95% confidence interval 7-12, P < 0.001). Compared with the control group, preoperative bilateral erector spinae plane blocks reduced the area under the curve of the numeric rating scale pain scores over 48 h, prolonged the time to first rescue analgesia, lessened postoperative 24 h morphine consumption, decreased the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and improved patient satisfaction with postoperative analgesia. There were no block-related adverse events.

Conclusion:

We found that preoperative bilateral erector spinae plane blocks provided superior early quality of recovery, postoperative analgesia, and patient satisfaction scores in patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion.

Trial registration:

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900027186, 4/11/2019.