Postoperative Pain Management After Nuss Repair

Pectus excavatum is a condition in which the breastbone is sunken into the chest, often described as a sunken chest or funnel chest. Treatment for this diagnosis is via Nuss repair, which involves placing a metal bar inside the chest to elevate the sternum and achieve a normal chest contour. Past approaches in post-operative pain management include thoracic epidural analgesia or cryoablation. Longer hospital stays are common after a thoracic epidural, prolonged numbness can occur with cryoablation, and both analgesia techniques pose a risk of permanent nerve injury. 

In this video, David Bliss, MD, discusses a recent study of erector spinae plane block after Nuss repair for pectus excavatum. The novel technique is a game-changer in mitigating the severe pain following a Nuss procedure.

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