Surgery on the chest and abdomen is intense, often leaving patients in significant pain. To manage this, doctors frequently rely on opioids, but finding ways to reduce these drugs while keeping patients comfortable is a major goal for surgical teams.
A review of data from 899 adults shows that a specific technique called an External Oblique Intercostal Plane Block (EOIPB) works well. When compared to standard care or other regional blocks, this method significantly lowered the amount of opioids patients used in the first 24 hours after surgery. It also showed promise in managing pain scores and reducing the need for extra rescue medications.
While these results are promising, the evidence quality is currently low to very low. Because different hospitals use different methods, it is hard to say exactly how much impact the technique has across all patients. Doctors do not recommend using this method for everyone automatically; instead, it serves as a strong alternative when first plans like epidural anesthesia are not available or do not work.
