Development of Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines for Utilizing Erector Spinae Plane Blockade for Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

In the United States, the aging population and high rates of cardiovascular disease leads to increased cardiothoracic surgeries. Analgesia for cardiac surgeries often involves high-dose opioids. However, with an ever-increasing opioid epidemic and adverse effects on the postoperative healing process, recent literature seeks to decrease opioid consumption by utilizing alternative methods of analgesia. The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists recommends the use of regional anesthesia techniques to reduce the incidence of undertreated postoperative pain that can occur from opioid-sparing methods of analgesia. This project aims to create an evidence-based analgesia guideline for adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Interventions will include an erector spinae plane block and an opioid-sparing postoperative guideline; evidence shows that erector spinae plane blocks decrease postoperative opioid consumption and improve postoperative outcomes, specifically decreased postoperative mechanical ventilation time. The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Guideline Model for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals will guide this process.