Pecto-intercostal Fascial Block (PIFB) for Postop Analgesia Following Sternotomy in Cardiac Surgery Patients

This will be a randomized, triple-blinded, prospective, feasibility trial. Written informed consent will be obtained from all study participants prior to randomization. Patients scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery involving sternotomy at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist will be screened for eligibility. These patients will be approached for enrollment by research staff either during their preoperative assessment clinic visit prior to their surgery date, or when admitted as inpatients and scheduled for surgery. Subjects chosen to participate will be randomized into one or other arm and PIFB will be performed after skin closure and before transport from the operating room to the ICU. For patients who are randomized at enrollment but later excluded due to exclusion criteria prior to block placement, their randomization assignment will be replaced at the end of the initial recruitment.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults between undergoing cardiac surgery involving sternotomy

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with any contraindications to regional anesthesia, such as history of allergy to amide local anesthetics or any of the perineural adjuvants
• existing neurologic deficit in the chest wall;
• remaining intubated at the six hour point after block placement
• weight under 50kg
• undergoing emergency surgical procedures or urgent return to the operating room
• active endocarditis or mediastinitis
• moderate to severe right ventricular function before or after cardiopulmonary bypass
• reliance on mechanical circulatory support devices, such as intra-aortic balloon pump or Impella
• reliance on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
• localized or systemic infection
• chronic use of high dose opioid analgesics (defined as daily use greater than 30 oral morphine milligram equivalents (OMME) for over one month prior to surgery)
• those who are pregnant