Table 2. Neuraxial and loco-regional techniques for postoperative analgesia.

Technique	Main characteristics
Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA)	Difficult for same day admission
	May lead to cancellation on the day
	High risk of complication
Paravertebral block (PVB)	Smaller, but still significant risk of non-compressible bleeding
Serratus anterior plane (SAP) block	Saver than PVB, but inferior analgesia
Intrapleural block	Provides superior analgesia to TEA or PVB when run as continuous infusion
	Catheters needs careful placing and can dislodge easily
Pectoralis fascial (PECS) I and II blocks	Very little evidence for use in MICS
Intercostal nerve (ICN) block	Provides inferior analgesia to other techniques
	Can be run as a continuous infusion
	Alternative when other methods are contraindicated
Erector spinae (ESP) block	Superior analgesia to ICN block
	Needs to be done in lateral, sitting or prone position

MICS, minimal invasive cardiac surgery.