Patients and methods
infection, psychiatric, hyperhidrosis
INFECTION, BLEEDING DISORDERS
This prospective randomized controlled parallel study was conducted over one year, starting from March 2022 to March 2023, at Mansoura university hospitals after the Institutional Research Board and ethical committee of our university (MFM-IRB) approval (R.21.09.1462) on 31/10/ 2021. The study was designed for 213 patients with severe palmar hyperhidrosis after explaining its benefits and potential risks. Patients were interviewed, and written informed consent was obtained. All methods were performed in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. The study was registered in the Pan African Trial Registry (PACTR202203766891354) on 16/3/2022. The study was reported according to the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines[The sample size was calculated via the PASS software program (version 23.0.2.), considering the time to the first rescue analgesic as the main outcome. The null hypothesis was considered as the absence of difference between RIB and SAPB techniques regarding that parameter. No previous studies have compared these two specific block techniques before. A minimal patient sample of 64 patients was required in each group to achieve a power and significance level of 80% and 5%, respectively. With an expected seven patients to drop out, the included sample was increased to 71 in each group (a total number of 213 cases).Patients aged between 15 to 40 years old, from either gender, scheduled for VATS, and classified as class I or II according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) were included. Contrarily, we excluded patients whose ASA was more than II, patients with infection at the injection site, bleeding disorders, and psychiatric illnesses.