The analgesic efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block after open abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery

Background : Ultrasound (US)-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is widely-spread analgesic technique for the patients undergoing abdominal surgery and can be provided safely for the patients receiving anticoagulation therapy. We conducted a retrospective comparative trial of analgesic efficacy between the patient who received US-guided TAP block with postoperative continuous iv-fentanyl infusion (group T) and those who received epidural analgesia (group E).

Methods : Twenty three patients who had undergone abdominal aortic replacement were analyzed retrospectively. The number of patients in group T was 12, and those in group E was 11. The postoperative first ambulation day, the postoperative first oral feeding day, the length of hospital stay, the use of rescue analgesic medication, and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) were compared between the two groups. P<0.05 was considered significant

Results : There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. There were no significant differences in postoperative first ambulation day (P=0.97), the postoperative first oral feeding day (P=0.46), the length of hospital stay (P= 0.32), the number of times of rescue analgesic medication (P= 0.55), and the incidence of PONV between the two groups.

Conclusions : US-guided TAP block is a useful option as analgesic technique for patients undergoing abdominal aortic replacement.