A progress of research on application of fascial plane blocks in surgeries and their future direction: Review article

Abstract

Fascial plane blocks (FPBs) are gaining popularity in clinical settings owing to their improved analgesia when combined with either traditional regional anesthesia or general anesthesia during the perioperative phase. The scope of study on FPBs has substantially increased over the past 20 years, yet the exact mechanism, issues linked to the approaches, and direction of future research on FPBs are still up for debate. Given that it can be performed at all levels of the spine and provides analgesia to most areas of the body, the erector spinae plane block (ESPB), one of the FPBs, has been extensively studied for chronic rational pain, visceral pain, abdominal surgical analgesia, imaging, and anatomical mechanisms. This has led to the contention that the ESPB is the ultimate Plan A block. Yet even though the future of the FPBs is promising, the unstable effect, the probability of local anesthetic poisoning, and the lack of consensus on the definition and assessment of the FPB’s success are still the major concerns. In order to precisely administer FPBs to patients who require analgesia in this condition, an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence is required. This algorithm will assist healthcare professionals in practicing precision medicine.