Conclusions
Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is certainly a key analgesic technique in the context of cardiac surgery, as it spares opioids, reducing their neurological and hemodynamic impact but without interfering with the coagulative status of the patient, allowing its use in non-elective procedures. Although there are several fascial blocks, no single technique is better than the others. In this meta-analysis, we concluded that ESP, PIF, and TTMP blocks were better than placebo when evaluating 24-hr MMEs. However, it is still challenging to determine which is better, given the lack of studies available in the literature. More high-quality RCTs are required to determine which regional anesthesia technique is better. An MCID should also be determined in cardiac surgery to quantify the effect of individual blocks compared with the standard of care.