Table 3.
Postoperative VAS pain scores of the pectoral PECS II and no-block groups.
| Block (n = 28) | No Block (n = 27) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAS + 4 h | 4.2 ± 2.0 | 4.4 ± 2.1 | 0.628 |
| VAS + 10 h | 3.3 ± 1.7 †† | 4.3 ± 1.5 | 0.017 |
| VAS + 20 h | 3.4 ± 1.2 | 4.1 ± 1.4 | 0.053 |
| VAS + 25 h | 2.6 ± 1.3 †† | 3.5 ± 1.7 †† | 0.034 |
| VAS + 35 h | 2.4 ± 1.4 ††† | 2.7 ± 1.2 ††† | 0.350 |
| VAS + 45 h | 2.2 ± 1.5 †† | 2.5 ± 1.0 ††† | 0.511 |
| No. of painkiller used | |||
| In the PACU | 0.7 ± 0.6 | 1.7 ± 0.5 | <0.001 |
| In the ward | 1.0 ± 0.9 | 1.6 ± 1.6 | 0.062 |
Data are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. A statistically significant difference was defined as p < 0.05. † p < 0.05, †† p ≤ 0.01, ††† p ≤ 0.001 compared to the VAS + 4 h in each group. Abbreviations: VAS, visual analog scale; PACU, post-anesthesia care unit. All patients used (1) Fentanyl as the first pain-killer in PACU, and (2) NSAIDs as the first pain-killer, and only three patients in the ward used Pethidine, an opioid analgesic.