Riassunto dello studio

Eighty patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgeries with instrumentation were randomized to receive either ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) (n=40) or wound infiltration (WI) (n=40). The primary outcome of interest was postoperative pain intensity, assessed via the visual analog scale (VAS) at multiple time points. Secondary outcomes included total opioid consumption, time to first rescue analgesia, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and patient satisfaction. Outcomes were assessed up to 24 hours postoperatively. Overall, the results revealed no significant differences in VAS scores between the groups, but ESPB resulted in a longer time to first rescue analgesia (p=0.045) and lower total opioid consumption (p=0.010). These findings suggest that ESPB is a superior option for postoperative analgesia due to its opioid-sparing effects and prolonged analgesic duration.