EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERCOSTAL NERVE BLOCK FOR MANAGEMENT OF PAIN IN RIB FRACTURE PATIENTS

Abstract

Background: The Intercostal Nerves Innervate forms the major parts of the skin and the musculature of the chest as well as the abdominal wall. The thoracic injuries are caused due to various reasons including the injuries due to fall, accidents, sports and various physical assaults. The Intercostal Nerves Innervate is one of the major treatment mechanism used to treat many of the chronic pain conditions affecting the thorax and upper abdomen, including breast and chest wall surgery. Aim: To study the effectiveness of intercostal nerve block for management of pain in rib fracture patients Methods: It was an observational study. All the patients with thoracic injuries and rib fractures were included in the study. The VAS score for all the patients were recorded. The patients were divided into two groups namely, control group and ICNB group. The study included 60 patients with 30 patients in the control group and 30 patients in the ICNB group. Results: The number of men was 40 and that of the women was 20. The mean age of the patients was 46.67±12 years. The number of men was 40 and that of the women was 20. The mean age of the patients was 46.67±12 years. According to the VAS score there was statistically significant difference among the patients immediately after receiving ICNB and conventional methods. However, there was no statistically significant difference among the two groups at different intervals after the therapy. Conclusion: In the light of the above results it was clear that ICNB had greater capacity of reducing the pain among the patients suffering from thoracic injuries as compared to the other conventional methods. There was statistically significant difference between the ICNB and conventional methods immediately and up to 2-3 days post applying the approach. However, after that there was no statistically significant difference in the pain scores.

Keywords: Intercostal Nerve Block, Rib Fracture, Thoracic Injuries, VAS