ANALGESIC EFFICACY OF COMBINATION OF BILATERAL SUPERFICIAL CERVICAL PLEXUS BLOCK AND STANDARD ANALGESIA WITH STANDARD ANALGESIA ALONE IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING THYROID CANCER SURGERY. A RANDOMISED-CONTROLLED TRIAL

Purpose: This study aimed to determine analgesic efficacy of a combination of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block (BLSCPB) and standard analgesia with standard analgesia alone in patients undergoing thyroid cancer surgery under general anaesthesia.Materials and Methods: It was a randomised-controlled trial conducted at the Anaesthesia Department of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Lahore. A sample size of 60 patients (30 patients in each group) was calculated with 95% confidence interval and power of 80%.Results: The mean pain-free duration for the Group A (BLSCPB group) was 72 min (SD 30.1) compared to 53 min (standard deviation 30.3) for the Group B. This shows a significant reduction in pain-free duration in Group A. Average NRS pain score in the Group A at q 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min was (0.83, 1.83, 0.23, 1.76 and 1.49), whereas the average pain score on NRS in the Group B at the same time interval mentioned above for Group A was (2.1, 2.73, 4.53, 2.44 and 1.85)Conclusion: Administration of BLSCPB resulted in superior analgesia after thyroid cancer surgery.Key words: Analgesia, cervical plexus block, post-operative pain, regional anaesthesia, thyroidectomy