Effective analgesia after cardiac surgery contributes to enhanced recovery.

To compare the perioperative analgesic effectiveness of Transversus Thoracis Muscle Plane Block (TTPB) and Pecto-Intercostal-Fascial Plane Block (PIFB) for controlling post-sternotomy pain in the pediatric population for ultrafast track cardiac surgery.

Double-blind randomized study of 60 children, 2–12 years old, undergoing cardiac surgery via median sternotomy in whom a bilateral ultrasound-guided TTPB or TIBP block was performed preemptively.

Epidemiologic data of both groups were comparable. TTPB group had a lower median Modified Objective Pain Score (MOPS) all over the time postoperatively. Fentanyl consumption was significantly lower in TTBP group compared with PIFB group, only 4/30 received supplemental fentanyl during surgery in the TTPB group vs. 11/30 in the PIFB group (p = 0.033). The median [interquartile] values of postoperative fentanyl consumption were significantly lower in the TTBP compared with PIFB group: 12.0 [10.0–12.0] vs. 15.0 [15.0–16.0] µg/kg (p < 0.001), respectively. First rescue analgesia was later in the TTPB group compared to the PIFB group with median times of 7.25 and 5.0 h, respectively (p < 0.001). Both groups had a comparable ICU length of stay (p = 0.919), with a median of 3 days. Furthermore, in the PIFB group, the incidence of non-sternal wound chest pain (53.3%) was significantly higher than in the TTPB group (3.3%) (p < 0.05).

TTPB and PIFB are safe regional blocks that could enhance recovery after pediatric cardiac surgery. In our series, TTPB provided better and longer-lasting postoperative analgesia with less incidence of non-sternal wound pain than PIFB.