Abstract

General anesthesia combined with opioid therapy is the most common anesthetic technique used for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery; however, inhaled anesthetics and opioids are notorious offenders of a fragile immune system and create hemodynamic compromise. By reducing the requirements of general anesthetics and opioids, the risks associated with each are greatly reduced. Regional anesthesia is a safe alternative or adjunct to general anesthesia, as it effectively reduces perioperative opioid consumption and limits the amount of anesthesia required intraoperatively. The modified pectoral nerve block (Pecs II block) is a regional technique that provides extensive sensory and motor blockade to the nerves supplying the anterior thoracic wall. This novel approach supersedes conventional regional techniques to anesthetize the thoracic wall for procedures involving the breasts and axillary lymph nodes. Compared to other techniques, the Pecs II block is anatomically less challenging, associated with fewer complications, and has a higher rate of success. For patients undergoing breast cancer surgery, the Pecs II block combined with conscious sedation greatly reduces the risks associated with general anesthesia and offers long-terms benefits.

Jessica Randall

Author Details

Jessica Randall, DNP (c), RN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Lead Author Affiliation

Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Pectoral Nerve Block, Breast Cancer Surgery, Regional Anesthesia

Advisor

Barnes, Christa Lauren

Second Advisor

Ledbetter, Maria

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Samford University

Degree Year

2021

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2021-03-24

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