Pecto-Intercostal Fascial Block for Postoperative Analgesia After Cardiac Surgery

The purpose of this study is to determine whether administration of a pecto-intercostal fascial plane block (PIFB) with bupivacaine is a more effective therapy for postoperative analgesia after cardiac surgery as compared to patients who receive a sham block of normal saline.

Specific Aim 1: To determine whether or not a PIFB with bupivacaine can reduce postoperative pain after cardiac surgery. This will be assessed through:

(Aim 1A) opioid consumption in the first 48 hours postoperatively (Aim 1B) patient self-reported pain scores during their hospital stay

Specific Aim 2: To estimate the effect size in order to obtain information that can be used to power future research on the use of regional modalities of analgesia for cardiac surgeries.