Stellate Ganglion Block for the Management of Long COVID Symptoms: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction The efficacy of stellate ganglion block (SGB) for managing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) remains an area of active exploration. In this study, we performed a retrospective analysis of PASC symptom improvements following SGB. Methods We performed a retrospective, survey-based cohort study at a single institution of patients with a history of PASC who underwent SGB at one of three different sites within Boston, MA, USA, between September 2022 and September 2024. The intervention was outpatient, office-based, with one or more unilateral SGBs. Results Fifty-two patients were included in the analysis. On average, patients underwent three SGB injections. Most patients reported improvement in PASC symptoms after SGB treatment. The most commonly reported symptoms that showed improvement were brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, and headache. A quarter of patients reported experiencing at least one adverse effect that was mostly short-lived. Conclusion SGB reduced the severity of many PASC symptoms, although there was high variability in the duration of symptom improvement. Further high-quality randomized clinical trials are warranted to investigate SGBs for the effective treatment of PASC.