A comparative study between the efficacy of bupivacaine plus nalbuphine versus bupivacaine alone in pectoral nerve block for management of postoperative pain in patients undergoing breast fibroadenoma excision

Background: Breast surgeries, even the relatively minor ones, can be associated with significant postoperative pain affecting patients' physical and psychological well-being. As a result, regional anaesthetic approaches have been used for breast surgery anaesthesia and analgesia. PECS I and II blocks have been proven to be relatively easy and safe in such regards. Moreover, using adjuvants, such as nalbuphine, have been proposed by many studies to intensify the block and decrease postoperative analgesic intake. This current study aims to assess the effects of using nalbuphine (20 mg) as a bupivacaine 0.25% (10 ml) adjuvant in PECS I block compared to injecting bupivacaine 0.25% (10 ml) alone in fibroadenoma excision patients. This trial enrolled 60 patients, 30 of whom received bupivacaine plus nalbuphine (group BN) and 30 in the bupivacaine only (group B). Postoperative VAS, SpO(2) and vital signs at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 h as well as the amount of morphine consumed, the time it took for the first analgesic to be administered and adverse effects were both recorded and compared. Results: Regarding postoperative outcomes, a statistically significant difference between the two groups was not detected regarding VAS, SpO(2), vital signs and adverse effects. Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference in total morphine intake in the 24h following surgery between the two groups (p-value= 0.65). Only 9 out of 60 patients needed analgesia, 5 in the BN group and 4 in the B group, and time to the first analgesic was not of statistically significant difference between BN and B groups (211.8 +/- 71.29 and 183.5 +/- 29.872 min respectively) (p-value= 0.73). In terms of postoperative complications, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Adding nalbuphine (20 mg) to bupivacaine in PECS I block in fibroadenoma patients undergoing excision is not accompanied by a difference with statistical significance in postoperative VAS, morphine consumption and duration to the first analgesia when compared to bupivacaine alone.