Effects of Interpectoral-Pectoserratus Plane Block After Breast Cancer Surgery

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women and the most common cause of death worldwide. While there has been a serious decrease in the mortality rate due to developments in diagnosis and treatment, there have been serious increases in functional disability and disability due to the disease. Breast cancer can lead to various functional losses due to the nature of the disease itself, radical surgical interventions and radiotherapy applications. These include shoulder dysfunction (pain and limitation of joint movement), locomotor system disorders such as upper extremity muscle strength loss and lymphedema, as well as psychological and cosmetic problems, and as a result, these problems affect the quality of life (QOL) of individuals (1). Firstly, Blanco et al. Ultrasound-guided pectoralis nerve II block (Interpectoral and pectoserratus plan block - PECS II block), described by MD, is increasingly used for analgesia in breast surgery (2). It has been reported that PECS II block is effective in reducing postoperative pain intensity and opioid consumption (3). It is safe and relatively simple to apply as an interfascial plane block, and there is no sympathetic blockade (4). The PECS II block consists of two interfascial injections of local anesthetics: 1) between the pectoralis minor and serratus anterior muscles, 2) between the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles at the level of the third rib. Local anesthetic injection into these planes; It is expected to block the lateral pectoral nerve, medial pectoral nerve, anterior branches of the thoracic intercostal nerves, and long thoracic nerves (5). Recently, the types of local anesthesia used during radical surgery may decrease the postoperative pain levels and recovery times of the patients. The effect of these intraoperative or postoperative blocks on the patients' clinical status in the postoperative period has not been compared before.