Paravertebral Blocks in Tissue Expander Breast Reconstruction: Propensity-Matched Analysis of Opioid Consumption and Patient Outcomes

Reducing Disparities: Regional Anesthesia Blocks for Mastectomy with Reconstruction Within Standardized Regional Anesthesia Pathways

BACKGROUND

Recent data suggest disparities in receipt of regional anesthesia prior to breast reconstruction. We aimed to understand factors associated with block receipt for mastectomy with immediate tissue expander (TE) reconstruction in a high-volume ambulatory surgery practice with standardized regional anesthesia pathways.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent mastectomy with immediate TE reconstruction from 2017 to 2022 were included. All patients were considered eligible for and were offered preoperative nerve blocks as part of routine anesthesia care. Interpreters were used for non-English speaking patients. Patients who declined a block were compared with those who opted for the procedure.

RESULTS

Of 4213 patients who underwent mastectomy with immediate TE reconstruction, 91% accepted and 9% declined a nerve block. On univariate analyses, patients with the lowest rate of block refusal were white, non-Hispanic, English speakers, patients with commercial insurance, and patients undergoing bilateral reconstruction. The rate of block refusal went down from 12 in 2017 to 6% in 2022. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that older age (p = 0.011), Hispanic ethnicity (versus non-Hispanic; p = 0.049), Medicaid status (versus commercial insurance; p < 0.001), unilateral surgery (versus bilateral; p = 0.045), and reconstruction in earlier study years (versus 2022; 2017, p < 0.001; 2018, p < 0.001; 2019, p = 0.001; 2020, p = 0.006) were associated with block refusal.

CONCLUSIONS

An established preoperative regional anesthesia program with blocks offered to all patients undergoing mastectomy with TE reconstruction can result in decreased racial disparities. However, continued differences in age, ethnicity, and insurance status justify future efforts to enhance preoperative educational efforts that address patient hesitancies in these subpopulations.

Regional Blocks Benefit Patients Undergoing Bilateral Mastectomy with Immediate Implant-Based Reconstruction, Even After Discharge

BACKGROUND

There is limited evidence that regional anesthesia reduces pain in patients undergoing mastectomy with immediate implant-based reconstruction. We sought to determine whether regional blocks reduce opioid consumption and improve post-discharge patient-reported pain in this population.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent bilateral mastectomy with immediate implant-based reconstruction with and without a regional block. We tested for differences in opioid consumption by block receipt using multivariable ordinal regression, and also assessed routinely collected patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for 10 days postoperatively and tested the association between block receipt and moderate or greater pain.

RESULTS

Of 754 patients, 89% received a block. Non-block patients had an increase in the odds of requiring a higher quartile of postoperative opioids. Among block patients, the estimated probability of being in the lowest quartile of opioids required was 25%, compared with 15% for non-block patients. Odds of patient-reported moderate or greater pain after discharge was 0.54 times lower in block patients than non-block patients (p = 0.025). Block patients had a 49% risk of moderate or greater pain compared with 64% in non-block patients on postoperative day 5. There was no indication of any reason for these differences other than a causal effect of the block.

CONCLUSION

Receipt of a regional block resulted in reduced opioid use and lower risk of self-reported moderate and higher pain after discharge in bilateral mastectomy with immediate implant-based reconstruction patients. Our use of PROs suggests that the analgesic effects of blocks persist after discharge, beyond the expected duration of a 'single shot' block.