Effect of Preincisional Liposomal Bupivacaine Sternal Blockade on Poststernotomy Opioid Use

This study assessed the use of regional analgesia in the reduction of postoperative opioid use in patients undergoing a sternotomy. Researchers used factors such as amount of opioids used, pain scores, and recovery time to determine if the method was effective. In the first seventy-two hours postoperatively, recovery checkpoints were similar between the two groups, and the study determined that regional analgesia did not reduce the amount of opioids administered in this short postoperative period.