Cardiothoracic & vascular anesthesia
A New Perspective in Cardiac Surgery: Single- and Two-level Deep Parasternal Intercostal Plane Blocks for Median Sternotomy Pain
Authors' conclusion
Single-level DPIP blocks demonstrated more consistent early analgesia and were technically simpler to perform.
Study context
- Population
- Adults (≥18 years) undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve surgery, or combined CABG + valve via median sternotomy
- Comparison
- Single-level vs two-level deep parasternal intercostal plane block
Methodological detailsprospective, Cardiac surgery unit in a tertiary hospital
- Prospective
- Cardiac surgery unit in a tertiary hospital
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Pain scores · 4, 6 and 8 hours
- Both techniques provided effective analgesia
- Single-level blocks yielded significantly lower pain scores at 4, 6 and 8 h, particularly during movement and in CABG patients
- Differences decreased at 12 h and disappeared by 24 h
Further findings
- Pain scores inversely correlated with age
Safety
- No block-related complications observed
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
A New Perspective in Cardiac Surgery: Single- and Two-level Deep Parasternal Intercostal Plane Blocks for Median Sternotomy Pain. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. Published 11 July 2025. doi:10.
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