Efficacy of preoperative transversus abdominis plane block in acute appendicitis pain and its success in postoperative pain: a retrospective study

S. Ozciftci, H. Topcu

Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, Corum, Turkey. serhatozciftci@gmail.com

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• Anesthesiology

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the analgesic efficacy of Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block applied before anesthesia on preoperative abdominal pain and postoperative surgical pain in acute appendicitis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Among the patients aged 18 years and older who underwent open appendectomy with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, patients who underwent TAP block were identified retrospectively. To the aim of this study, demographic data of the patients, preoperative change in pain scores at rest and with coughing, postoperative pain scores, need for postoperative analgesics were evaluated.

RESULTS: Twenty-two patients who underwent preanesthetic lateral TAP block were accepted as the sample of the study. Preoperative 0th minute resting and rebound pain scores due to appendicitis before TAP block were 4.63 and 7.63, respectively. Resting and rebound pain scores at the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th minutes after TAP block were respectively 2.95, 2.04, 1.27, 0.68, 0.50, 0.45 and 5.59, 4.68, 3.72, 2.77, 2.22, 1.86. Both resting and rebound pain scores decreased from the 1st minute to the 15th minute, with a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). The mean pain scores at the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 12th and 24th hours postoperatively were 3.72, 2.81, 2.13, 1.86, and 1.5, respectively. Six patients did not need analgesics in the first 24 hours. Opioid was administered to only one patient postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS: TAP block provides effective analgesia in the preoperative abdominal pain treatment of acute appendicitis cases. It also shows that effective postoperative analgesia can be achieved even when applied preoperatively.

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