Cardiothoracic & vascular anaesthesia
Pneumothorax rates following cardiac surgery with versus without continuous serratus anterior plane catheters: a secondary analysis of trial data with propensity score matching to a historic cohort
Authors' conclusion
Our data suggest that SAP catheter use as a part of a randomized trial for cardiac surgery was associated with a higher rate of pneumothorax in trial participants than in a historic cohort of a similar population, though causality is unclear. Differences in monitoring within the trial and the inherent risks in this population may have contributed.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing cardiac surgery via sternotomy at a single institutionCardiac-SAP trial patients matched 50 · retrospective cohort patients 989
- Participants
- 50 vs 989
- Comparison
- Pneumothorax rates in patients receiving continuous serratus anterior plane (SAP) catheters in our previous Cardiac-Serratus Anterior Plane (Cardiac-SAP) trial with those in a retrospective institutional database cohort of patients receiving standard care
- SAP catheter groupn = 50
- Historic cohortn = 989reference
Methodological details1:20 propensity score matching, retrospective institutional database cohort
- 1:20 propensity score matching
- Retrospective institutional database cohort
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Intensive care unit (ICU) readmissions, length of ventilation, and length of ICU or hospital stay
- No significant differences
Further findings
- Patients who developed a pneumothorax had longer ventilation time and longer hospital stays
Safety
| Outcome | SAP catheter group | Historic cohort | Odds ratio (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PneumothoraxAfter matching | 12% | 3% | 5.3 (2.1–13.6) | P < 0.001 | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Pneumothorax rates following cardiac surgery with versus without continuous serratus anterior plane catheters: a secondary analysis of trial data with propensity score matching to a historic cohort. Can J Anaesth. Published 22 October 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →