Table 1.
Case Reports in the Literature Search
| Case reports | Cases | Age | Indication | Timing | Intervention | Block-related adverse events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muñoz et al. 2017 [2] | 1 | 7 years | Chest wall surgery | Postoperative | Single shot T8 | None reported |
| 14 ml bupivacaine 0.5% with epinephrine 5 μg/ml | ||||||
| Adler et al. 2019 [4] | 1 | 3 weeks | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative catheter placement | Initial postoperative bolus through catheter 0.1% (0.25 mg/kg/h) ropivacaine in infusion for 48 h | None |
| Catheter removed after 48 h | ||||||
| Darling et al. 2018 [14] | 1 | 11 years | Iliac crest autograft | Preoperative | Single shot catheter tip at L2 | None reported |
| Postoperative | 15 ml 0.5% ropivacaine intraoperative | |||||
| 11 ml 0.2% ropivacaine every 2 h on postoperative days 0-5 | ||||||
| Balaban et al. 2019 [15] | 1 | 6 years | Femur fixation | Postoperative | Single shot T5 | None reported |
| 20 ml 0.25% bupivacaine | ||||||
| Bosinci et al. 2021 [16] | 2 | 2 years | Hip surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T4 | None reported |
| 7 years | Lidocaine 2% 2 ml and levobupivacaine 0.25% 14 ml | |||||
| Single shot lidocaine 2% 4 ml and levobupivacaine 0.25% 17 ml then continuous infusion levobupivacaine 0.125% 4–8 ml/h via infusion pump | ||||||
| Catheter removed at 72 h | ||||||
| Hernandez et al. 2018 [17] | 1 | 3 years | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T1 | None reported |
| 0.1 ml/kg bupivacaine 0.25% | ||||||
| 0.1 ml/kg lidocaine 1% | ||||||
| Altıparmak et al. 2019 [20] | 1 | 2 days | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T4 T6 | None reported |
| (32 weeks PCA) | 0.5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine (x2) | |||||
| Gomez-Menendez et al. 2019 [21] | 1 | 13 months | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T4 | None reported |
| 5 ml bupivacaine 0.25% | ||||||
| Hagen et al. 2019 [22] | 7 | 37 days– | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot | None reported |
| 9 years | 0.5% bupivacaine + dexamethasone (1 bilateral) | |||||
| Wyatt and Elattary 2019 [23] | 1 | 17 years | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T5 with catheter placement 25 ml 0.5% ropivacaine | None reported |
| Continuous infusion through catheter 0.2% ropivacaine 8 ml/h during surgery 0.1% ropivacaine 10 ml/h postoperative | ||||||
| Rescue bolus 4 ml bupivacaine 0.25% mixed + 1 ml lidocaine 2% upon arrival in ICU; Catheter removed at 96 h | ||||||
| Aytuluk et al. 2020 [24] | 1 | 5 years | Chest tube insertion | Preoperative | Single shot T6-T7 | None reported |
| 7 ml 0.5% bupivacaine | ||||||
| Çiftçi and Ekinci 2020 [25] | 1 | 12 years | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T5 | None reported |
| 15 ml 0.25% bupivacaine | ||||||
| Gupta et al. 2020 [26] | 1 | 2 years | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T5 | None reported |
| 8 ml 0.375% ropivacaine + 10 μg clonidine | ||||||
| Swenson Schalkwyk et al. 2020 [27] | 1 | 2 days | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Catheter T5-T6 with hydrodissection + 2 ml 3% chloroprocaine | None |
| 1 ml 0.1% at surgery | ||||||
| Continuous infusion: 1.5% chloroprocaine at 0.25 ml/kg/h | ||||||
| Catheter removed at 140 h | ||||||
| Wong et al. 2018 [28] | 17 years | Cardiac surgery | Preoperative catheter placement and bolus; postoperative PIB | Bilateral catheters tip T7 | None reported | |
| 10 ml 0.5% ropivacaine (x2) preoperative, then postoperative alternating catheter boluses of 10 ml 0.1% ropivacaine every 60 min | ||||||
| Catheter removal at 72 h | ||||||
| Moore et al. 2018 [29] | 1 | 1 year | Abdominal surgery | Preoperative catheter placement and bolus; postoperative continuous infusion | Bilateral catheters T8-T10 | None reported |
| 1 ml 0.2% ropivacaine followed by 0.5 ml/h 0.2% ropivacaine intraoperative Postoperative 0.5 ml/h 0.1% ropivacaine until catheter removal 72 h postop | ||||||
| Aksu and Gürkan 2018 [30] | 2 | 6 months | Nephrectomy | Preoperative | Single shot T12 | None |
| 7 years | 0.5 ml/kg 0.25% bupivacaine | |||||
| Thomas and Tulgar 2018 [31] | 1 | 11 years | Abdominal surgery | Preoperative | Single shot bilateral T9 | None reported |
| 0.25% bupivacaine 0.5 ml/kg (x2) | ||||||
| Munshey et al. 2018 [32] | 1 | 11 months | Open pyeloplasty | Preoperative | Catheter tip T8 | None reported |
| Bolus 0.3 ml/kg ropivacaine 0.2% every hour during surgery, then 0.3 ml/kg ropivacaine 0.5% at end of surgery; Catheter removed at 48 h | ||||||
| Aksu and Gürkan 2019 [33] | 3 | 8, 11, 13 years | Laparoscopy | Preoperative | Single shot bilateral T7 | None reported |
| 0.5 ml/kg 0.25% bupivacaine (max 20 ml) (x2) | ||||||
| Ince et al. 2019 [34] | 1 | 13 years | Abdominal surgery | Preoperative | Single shot bilateral L2-3 | None reported |
| LA not specified | ||||||
| Karaca and Pınar 2019 [35] | 4 | 10–14 years | Abdominal surgery | Preoperative | Bilateral single-shot T7 | None |
| Total 2.5 mg/kg bupivacaine | ||||||
| Aydın et al. 2020 [36] | 1 | 9 months | Abdominal surgery | Postoperative | Single shot T10 + T11 | None |
| Bupivacaine 0.25% (3 ml T10 + 3 ml T11) | ||||||
| Ekinci et al. 2020 [37] | 1 | 2 years | Shock wave lithotripsy | Preoperative | Single shot T10 | None reported |
| 6 ml 0.25% bupivacaine | ||||||
| Tsui et al. 2020 [38] | 1 | 16 years | Spinal surgery | Intraoperative surgical catheter placement | Bilateral catheter tips at T6 | None reported |
| 20 ml lidocaine 0.5% (x2) at end of surgery | ||||||
| Postoperative boluses 20-22 ml 0.5% lidocaine alternating right and left side every 60 min; Catheter removed at 48 h | ||||||
| Aksu and Gürkan 2020 [39] | 1 | 6 months | Genital surgery | Preoperative | Single-shot median sacral | None |
| 8 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine | ||||||
| Ince et al. 2020 [40] | 1 | 4 years | Hip surgery | Preoperative | Single shot L4 | None |
| ESPB in combination with pericapsular nerve block 0.25% bupivacaine (total 20 ml 0.25% bupivacaine) | ||||||
| Baca et al. 2019 [41] | 1 | 15 years | Palliative pain | Catheters placed under general anesthesia in hospital before release to home care | Bilateral tunneled catheters T8 (advanced to T12) | None |
| Single shot 11 ml 0.5% ropivacaine | ||||||
| PIB 10 ml 0.2% ropivacaine every 2 h alternating sides | ||||||
| Catheter removed after 7 days | ||||||
| Kupeli et al. 2021 [42] | 9 | 2-10 years | Multiple surgery | Preoperative | Preoperative single shot upon catheter placement, 0.25% levobupivacaine 0.4 ml/kg | None reported |
| Postoperative continuous infusion through perineurial catheter 1-5 ml/h 0.125% levobupivacaine | ||||||
| Level T5 for thoracotomy; T8 for nephrectomy; T12-L2 for appendectomy and inguinal hernia; L1–2 for orchidopexy and ureterocele; and L4 for hip surgery Catheters removed within 24 h after surgery | ||||||
| Le et al. 2020 [43] | 1 | 17 years | Ravitch procedure | Preoperative | Bilateral catheters T5 | None reported |
| 20 ml 0.2% ropivacaine preoperative | ||||||
| Continuous infusion 6-8 ml/h ropivacaine 0.15% | ||||||
| Rescue bolus 6 ml ropivacaine 0.15% on each side on postoperative day 1 Catheters removed at 72 h | ||||||
| Bonfiglio et al. 2021 [44] | 1 | 19 years | Thoracoscopy | Preoperative catheter placement and bolus; postoperative continuous infusion + patient-controlled infusion | Single shot T4 | None reported |
| 18 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine + 30 μg of dexmedetomidine | ||||||
| Continous infusion 0.125% levobupivacaine 10 ml/h + PCI 5 ml with 60-min lockout | ||||||
| Catheter removed on postoperative day 3 | ||||||
| Bakshi et al. 2020 [45] | 2 | 3 years | Spine surgery | Preoperative catheter placement; catheter placement on postoperative day 4 | Intermittent bolus 6 ml 0.25% levobupivacaine every 8 h for 4 days | None |
| 4 years | Intermittent bolus of 5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine every 8 h for 4 days | |||||
| Patel et al. 2019 [46] | 1 | 6 years | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T5 | None reported |
| 10 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine | ||||||
| Continuous infusion through catheter 0.2 mg/kg/h ropivacaine | ||||||
| Catheter removed at 96 h | ||||||
| De la Cuadra-Fontaine et al. 2018 [47] | 1 | 3 years | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative catheter placement and bolus; postoperative continuous infusion + patient-controlled infusion | Single shot T9 8 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine;Continuous infusion 0.1% levobupivacaine 3 ml/h + PCA 1.5 ml with 30-min lockout | None reported |
| Catheter removed at 96 h | ||||||
| Basaran and Akkoyun 2020 [48] | 1 | 1 days | Abdominal surgery | Preoperative | Single shot bilateral T7 | None reported |
| (30 weeks PCA) | 0.5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine (x2) | |||||
| Aksu and Gürkan 2019 [49] | 2 | 11 years | Abdominal surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T11 bilateral | None |
| 0.25% bupivacaine 0.5 ml/kg | ||||||
| Aksu and Gürkan 2019 [50] | 2 | 2 years | Inguinal hernia repair | Preoperative | Single shot lumbar ESPB | None |
| 5 years | 0.25% bupivacaine 0.5 ml/kg (does not specify vertebral level) | |||||
| Cesur et al. 2019 [51] | 5 | 3–12 years | Inguinal hernia repair | Preoperative | Single shot | None reported |
| 0.25% bupivacaine with a volume of 0.5 ml/kg (vertebral level not specified) | ||||||
| Hernandez et al. 2018 [52] | 1 | 2 months | Inguinal hernia repair | Preoperative | Single-shot T6 | None |
| 0.2 ml/kg bupivacaine 0.25% | ||||||
| 0.2 ml/kg lidocaine 1% | ||||||
| Elkoundi et al. 2019 [53] | 1 | 4 years | Hip surgery | Preoperative | Single shot L2 | None reported |
| 0.3 ml/kg 0.25% bupivacaine | ||||||
| Uysal et al. 2020 [70] | 1 | 5 months | Diaphragmatic hernia | Postoperative | Single shot (twice) T6 T10 | None |
| 0.5 ml/kg 0.25% bupivacaine | ||||||
| Paladini et al. 2019 [71] | 1 | 5 months | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T4 (twice) | None |
| Postoperative | 4 ml 0.2% levobupivacaine after induction | |||||
| 4 ml 0.1% levobupivacaine before emergence | ||||||
| Kaplan et al. 2018 [72] | 1 | 7 months | Thoracic surgery | Preoperative | Single shot T6 | None |
| 2 ml of 0.2% ropivacaine for hydrodissection and catheter placement, then continuous infusion through catheter 0.2% ropivacaine 1 ml/h | ||||||
| Catheter removed at 72 h | ||||||
| Gurbuz et al. 2021 [77] | 2 | 1 day | Thoraco-abdominal | Postoperative; preoperative | Single shot T4; T8 | Bradycardia 10 min after block (treated with atropine) in 1 case |
| 25 days | surgery | 0.75 ml 0.2% bupivacaine |
ESPB: erector spinae plane block, LA: local anesthetic, ICU: intensive care unit, PCA: post conceptual age, PCI: patient’s controlled infusion.