A retrospective evaluation of the effect of ultrasound-guided PECS II block on postoperative chronic pain and other perioperative parameters following breast cancer surgery

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of intraoperative PECS II block on postoperative acute and chronic pain, analgesic consumption, and nausea-vomiting in patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer. A total of 100 patients undergoing mastectomy were included in the study. They were divided into two groups: those who received PECS II block (n=50) and a control group without the block (n=50). Intraoperative vital signs, opioid use, postoperative pain scores (NRS) during the first 24 hours, analgesic consumption, and the incidence of nausea and vomiting were recorded. Chronic pain presence was assessed at the 3rd and 6th months postoperatively. The PECS II block group had significantly lower NRS pain scores in the early postoperative period (p<0.05). Both opioid and non-opioid analgesic consumption were lower in this group. The incidence of chronic pain at the 3rd and 6th months was also significantly lower. Additionally, postoperative nausea and vomiting were significantly less frequent in the block group (p<0.05). PECS II block is effective in reducing both acute and chronic pain after mastectomy and lowers the need for analgesics and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. These findings support the inclusion of PECS II block in multimodal analgesia protocols for breast surgery.