Conclusions
Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is certainly a key analgesic
technique in the context of cardiac surgery, as it spares opioids,
reducing their neurological and hemodynamic impact but without
interfering with the coagulative status of the patient, allowing its use
in non-elective procedures. Although there are several fascial blocks,
no single technique is better than the others. In this meta-analysis, we
concluded that ESP, PIF, and TTMP blocks were better than placebo when
evaluating 24-hr MMEs. However, it is still challenging to determine
which is better, given the lack of studies available in the literature.
More high-quality RCTs are required to determine which regional
anesthesia technique is better. An MCID should also be determined in
cardiac surgery to quantify the effect of individual blocks compared
with the standard of care.