{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T16:54:19Z","timestamp":1787590459211,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,28]],"date-time":"2021-10-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1635379200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"The Christ Hospital","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}]},{"name":"The Lindner Center for Research and Education at the Christ Hospital","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}]},{"name":"University of Cincinnati,","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study tested the hypothesis that continuous bilateral erector spinae plane blocks placed preoperatively would reduce opioid consumption and improve outcomes compared with standard practice in open cardiac surgery patients. Patients who received bilateral continuous erector spinae plane blocks for primary open coronary bypass, aortic valve, or ascending aortic surgery were compared to a historical control group. Patients in the block group received a 0.5% ropivacaine bolus preoperatively followed by a 0.2% ropivacaine infusion begun postoperatively. No other changes were made to the perioperative care protocol. The primary outcome was opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes were time to extubation and length of stay. Twenty-eight patients received continuous erector spinae plane blocks and fifty patients served as historic controls. Patients who received blocks consumed less opioids, expressed as oral morphine equivalents, both intraoperatively (34 \u00b1 17 vs. 224 \u00b1 125 mg) and during their hospitalization (224 \u00b1 108 vs. 461 \u00b1 185 mg). Patients who received blocks had shorter times to extubation (126 \u00b1 87 vs. 257 \u00b1 188 min) and lengths of stay in the intensive care unit (35 \u00b1 17 vs. 58 \u00b1 42 h) and hospital (5.6 \u00b1 1.6 vs. 7.7 \u00b1 4.6 days). Continuous erector spinae plane blocks placed prior to open cardiac surgical procedures reduced opioid consumption, time to extubation, and length of stay compared to a standard perioperative pathway.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm10215022","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,28]],"date-time":"2021-10-28T23:51:36Z","timestamp":1635465096000},"page":"5022","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Ultrasound-Guided Continuous Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Blocks Are Associated with Reduced Opioid Consumption and Length of Stay for Open Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3487-1253","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brian N.","family":"Vaughan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cheryl L.","family":"Bartone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Christ Hospital Health Network, Heart and Vascular Services, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Catherine M.","family":"McCarthy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Christ Hospital Health Network, Heart and Vascular Services, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Geoffrey A.","family":"Answini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Christ Hospital Health Network, Heart and Vascular Services, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1201-0313","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"William E.","family":"Hurford","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"808","DOI":"10.1053\/j.jvca.2018.05.053","article-title":"Opioid-based anesthesia and analgesia for adult cardiac surgery: History and narrative review of the literature","volume":"33","author":"Kwanten","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. 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