Dexmedetomidine Combined With Bupivacaine in Ultrasound-guided Pecto-Intercostal Fascial Block in Cardiac Surgery

Recent advancements in pain management techniques suggest that ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks may significantly benefit patients undergoing cardiac surgery. One noteworthy approach is the interfascial thoracic wall plane block, which has become an essential element of multimodal analgesia for post-cardiac surgery care. The pecto-intercostal fascial plane block (PIFPB) is a technique that utilizes ultrasound guidance to administer local anesthetic (LA) into the space between the intercostal muscles and the pectoralis major muscle. This intervention targets the anterior cutaneous branches of the thoracic nerves, particularly T2-T6, which are responsible for sensation in the anteromedial chest wall, including the sternum. Interestingly, the potential role of dexmedetomidine in improving the quality and prolonging the duration of analgesia for post-sternotomy pain through the pecto-intercostal fascial plane block remains unexamined in the current literature, indicating an area ripe for further research.

NCT Number	NCT07023874
Lead Sponsor	Alexandria University
Conditions	Postoperative Pain, Cardiac Surgery
Enrollment	60 participants
Start Date	2025-07-01
Primary Completion	2025-10-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-11-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-06-17