Association between Paravertebral Block and Pain Score at the Time of Hospital Discharge in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

he paravertebral block is a useful technique for postoperative pain control in patients undergoing oncoplastic breast surgery. The primary focus of most studies on paravertebral blocks has been on opioid consumption in the postanesthesia care unit, 1 postoperative pain scores, 2,3 and overall quality of recovery. 4 Although the evidence appears strong for perioperative pain and recovery outcomes, studies have not explored differences in pain score at the time of hospital discharge among patients who undergo paravertebral block.A recent observational study 5 evaluating a wide variety of operations found that higher pain score at the time of hospital discharge was associated