Comparison between quadratus lumborum and transversus abdominus plane blocks for analgesia in abdominal surgeries

Abstract

Background Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Aim The aim was to compare ultrasound (US)-guided quadratus lumborum block and transversus abdominis plane block in abdominal surgeries as regards duration of analgesia, postoperative opioid consumption, and visual analog scale score. Patients and methods A randomized-controlled trial study was carried out at Alexandria University Hospital on 40 American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA)-I and II adult patients scheduled for elective abdominal surgery. The recorded data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software package version 20.0. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to verify the normality of distribution. Quantitative data were described using range (minimum and maximum), mean, SD, and median. Significance of the obtained results was judged at the 5% level. Results There was no significant difference between the two groups as regards age, sex, heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, and complications. There was a highly significant difference between the two groups as regards duration of analgesia, visual analog score value, and the opioid analgesic requirements. Conclusion US-guided quadratus lumborum block is superior to US-guided transversus abdominis plane block for control of postoperative pain in abdominal surgeries in terms of pain scores, duration of analgesia, and total analgesic consumption.