• Yasuki Fujita, Yuu Horiguchi, Kayo Nakamura, Daisuke Ikeda, Michiko Kaneko, Keiko Tomioka, Chiharu Tokunaga, and Takeo Iwakura.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, Osaka 530-0012.
• Masui. 2012 Feb 1;61(2):155-8.

BackgroundWe evaluated the effect of repeated transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks on postoperative analgesia over the first 48 postoperative hours in the patients undergoing lower abdominal gynecological surgery.MethodsFour patients undergoing ovarian cystectomy via a transverse lower abdominal wall incision were selected. All patients received general anesthesia. After the operation, bilateral TAP blocks were performed by ultrasound-guided access using 0.375% ropivacaine 15 ml, and a catheter was placed on the plane. Repeated TAP blocks were performed every 12 hours using 0.375% ropivacaine 15 ml until the second postoperative day. Each patient was assessed for the analgesic effect and complications at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours postoperatively.ResultsThe postoperative visual analogue scale pain scores at rest and on movement were approximately under 20. The median frequency of additional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs until the second postoperative day was 0.5. We did not observe any complications such as nausea, vomiting and shivering in the postoperative period.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that bilateral repeated TAP blocks via a placed catheter provide good analgesia without any complications in patients undergoing ovarian cystectomy.

19 keywords...

hide…