• Christian K Hansen, Mette Dam, Gudny E Steingrimsdottir, Gunnar Hellmund Laier, Morten Lebech, Troels Dirch Poulsen, ChanVincent W SVWSAnesthesia, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada., Morné Wolmarans, Thomas Fichtner Bendtsen, and Jens Børglum.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark.
• Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2019 Jul 14.

BackgroundElective cesarean section (ECS) can cause moderate to severe pain that often requires opioid administration. To enhance maternal recovery, and promote mother and baby interaction, it is important to reduce postoperative pain and opioid consumption. Various regional anesthesia techniques have been implemented to improve postoperative pain management following ECS. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of bilateral ultrasound-guided transmuscular quadratus lumborum (TQL) block on reducing postoperative opioid consumption following ECS.MethodsA randomized double-blind trial with concealed allocation was conducted in 72 parturients who received bilateral TQL block with either 30 mL ropivacaine 0.375% or saline. TQL block injectate was deposited in the interfascial plane between the quadratus lumborum and psoas major muscles, posterior to the transversalis fascia. Primary outcome was opioid consumption, which was recorded electronically. Pain scores and time to first opioid request were also evaluated.ResultsOpioid consumption (oral morphine equivalents, OME) was significantly reduced in group ropivacaine (GRO) in the first 24 hours compared with group saline (65 mg OME vs 94 mg OME) with a mean difference of 29 mg OME; 95% CI 3 to 55, p<0.03. Time to first opioid request was significantly prolonged in GRO, p<0.003. Numerical rating scale pain scores were significantly lower in GRO in the first 6 hours after surgery, p<0.03.ConclusionsBilateral TQL block significantly reduced 24 hours' opioid consumption. Further, we observed significant prolongation in time to first opioid, and significant reduction of pain during the first 6 postoperative hours.© American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

This article appears in the collection: The quadratus lumborum block for Caesarean section.

3 keywords...

hide…