Riassunto dello studio

60 patients undergoing surgery for lumbar spondylosis were randomized to receive either an ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block (SGB; n=30) or a control (n=30). Outcomes of interest included the incidence of sore throat, hoarseness, coughing, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), throat soreness, deep sleep quality score, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, sufentanil consumption, dose of propofol, cisatracurium dose, total blood loss, pain on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and operative time. The incidence of postoperative sore throat was significantly lower in the SGB group after 1 and 6 hours compared to the control. Similarly, the postoperative sore throat scores were significantly better at the same time points in the SGB group. The incidence of postoperative hoarseness was also significantly lower in the SGB group at all time points, with a significantly lower incidence of cough at 24 hours. The deep sleep quality score was also significantly better in the SGB group up to the fifth postoperative day. Lastly, VAS pain scores were significantly better in the SGB group at 48 hours.