Early experiences with the use of continuous erector spinae plane blockade for the provision of perioperative analgesia for pediatric liver transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric liver transplantation presents a number of anesthetic challenges, especially in providing adequate perioperative analgesia. In an effort to reduce opioid consumption and improve functional outcomes following pediatric liver transplantation, we have instituted a novel analgesia protocol centered on the provision of continuous regional analgesia with erector spinae plane (ESP) blockade. CASES: We describe preincisional bilateral ESP catheter placement in two pediatric patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation. The first case was a 12-year-old boy with maple syrup urine disease undergoing initial transplantation and the second case was an 8-year-old boy who underwent an 11 hours complex redo liver transplant in the setting of glycogen storage disease type 1A requiring initial liver transplant in 2014. The 8-year-old boy presented to the operating suite with acute Budd-Chiari syndrome with comorbid ascites and a large right pleural effusion. In both cases, ESP blockade resulted in good analgesia, markedly reduced intraoperative and postoperative opioid consumption as compared with institutional data and published rates of consumption and was associated with rapid return of bowel function.
CONCLUSIONS: These early experiences suggest a role for continuous ESP blockade to improve analgesia and potentially change the paradigm of treatment in this fragile patient population. The technique should be considered in similar interventions. Further study will be undertaken to validate our observation. © American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.