Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in the Management of Acute Postoperative Pain Syndrome after Caesarean Section: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: The international literature is unclear regarding the analgesic efficacy of the transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) after a Caesarean section (CS). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a correctly performed ultrasound-guided TAPB (USG-TAPB) could provide better control of acute postoperative pain during the first 72 hours after CS and if it could provide a faster postoperative recovery. STUDY DESIGN: A double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial on pregnant women who underwent CS. SETTING: Pain clinic and Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit in an academic hospital. METHODS: A double-blind, randomized, controlled study was conducted with 96 patients who underwent CS. The patients in both groups received subarachnoid anesthesia (SAB) with 13 mg of 0.5% isobaric levobupivacaine. The patients were randomized so that some received USG-TAPB with local anesthetic, and the remainder received USG-TAPB with saline. The patients' demographic information and data regarding anesthesia, hemodynamic changes, side effects, acute rest and incident postoperative pain, painkiller consumption, recovery time of bowel function, and the time of hospital discharge were recorded. RESULTS: Our data reinforce the assumption that if TAP block is performed correctly and is part of a multimodal analgesic scheme, effective pain control is possible both for somatic and visceral acute pain. Furthermore, the need for painkillers is reduced, and their related side effects are moderate, yielding a positive benefit/cost ratio. LIMITATIONS: USG-TAPB provides good analgesia for acute postoperative somatic pain, but opiates were still needed for the management of visceral acute postoperative pain. CONCLUSIONS: These results could confirm the assumption that the correct performance of an USG-TAPB as part of a multimodal analgesic treatment could represent a viable alternative to common analgesic procedures performed for acute postoperative pain control after a CS.Key words: Bowel function, Caesarian section, incident pain, local anesthetics, multimodal analgesic treatment, postoperative recovery, rest pain, ultrasound-guided TAP block

Continuous wound infusion and local infiltration analgesia for postoperative pain and rehabilitation after total hip arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: Total hip arthroplasty is one of the most common procedures in orthopaedic surgery. We hypothesized that local infiltration of analgesia and continuous wound infusion of anaesthetics in the first 72 h after surgery could provide more effective postoperative analgesia with better rehabilitation. METHODS: A double-blind, randomized, controlled study was conducted with 96 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty. The patients were randomized to receive either a local infiltration analgesia and continuous wound infusion of anaesthetics or a local infiltration analgesia and continuous wound infusion of saline solution. The patients in both groups received subarachnoid anaesthesia and a local infiltration analgesia. A multihole catheter was placed next to the implant and connected to an electronic pump containing a 300 ml solution of 0.2% levobupivacaine (experimental group) or saline (control group). RESULTS: A total of 96 consecutive patients were enrolled and randomized. Of these, 48 patients received local infiltration analgesia and continuous wound infusion of local anaesthetics, and the remainder received local infiltration analgesia and continuous wound infusion of saline solution. The analysis showed a significant main effect of treatment on the postoperative incident of pain [Ftreatment (1,93)=22.62, p=0.000] and on resting pain during the post-surgery follow-up [Ftreatment (1, 93)=15.62, p=0.0002]. The pain scores during the rehabilitation period were significantly less in the experimental group. Analgesic consumption was less in the experimental group. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of continuous wound infusion of anaesthetics to local infiltration analgesia provided an extended analgesic effect associated with good rehabilitation performance