Efficacy of serratus anterior plane block in pain control in traumatic posterior rib fractures: A case series

Abstract

Blunt trauma patients commonly present with multiple rib fractures, which increases overall morbidity and mortality due to pulmonary complications. Effective chest wall analgesia may be challenging due to positioning difficulty, body habitus, anticoagulation issues with neuraxial interventions, etc. Serratus anterior plane block has been shown to be beneficial in anterior and lateral rib fractures in recent studies. We propose the efficacy of this block in posterior rib fractures as well, through this small case series of blunt trauma patients with posterior rib fractures, reporting significant pain relief after the block.