The effect of Erector Spinae Plane Block on the use of anesthetic medications in lumbar spine surgery

Objective: In order to reduce the drug side effects and facilitate emergence from anesthesia after complex spine surgery, various methods have been proposed. One of these methods is ESPB which has been less studied. So, we conducted this study to evaluate effectiveness of ESPB on the use of anesthetic drugs in lumbar spine surgery.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 70 patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion surgery were studied. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the case group (n = 35) in which bilateral ESPB was done and control group (n = 35). After standard anesthesia protocols, anesthesia was maintained with Isoflurane in both groups. Intraoperative isoflurane and perioperative opioid consumption were recorded. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 21.
Results: Intraoperative use of fentanyl in the case group was significantly lower than the control group (14.29±21.5 versus 65.96±73.33 µg, P <0.001). Also, isoflurane consumption in the intervention group compared to the controls was significantly lower (20.71±5.02 versus 28.83±8.68 mL, P <0.001). Moreover, the emergence time was significantly shorter in the case group than in the control group (8.49±4.30 minutes versus 15.00±4.94, P <0.001). In post anesthesia care unit one hour after surgery, the fentanyl dose and pain scores in the case group was significantly lower than the controls (P-value=0.030 and <0.001, accordingly).
Conclusion: ESPB under ultrasound guidance is an effective method of regional anesthesia/analgesia for lumbar spine surgery (fusion) by decreasing the consumption of anesthetics during and following the surgery.