Comparing the analgesic efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block versus wound infiltration for postoperative pain management in abdominal surgery: A systematic review

Abstract

During the surgical treatment, local anesthetic wound infiltration (WI) and transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block are both utilized to relieve pain after abdominal surgery. To identify the most effective analgesic method, we conducted this systematic review. We extensively examined the literature for studies contrasting TAP block with WI after abdominal surgery. We performed the systematic review using online datasets such as Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and Scopus. There was a set of exclusion and inclusion criteria, including randomized controlled trials that studied comparison between TAP and local anesthetic WI. At 2 postoperative hours, there was a significant difference in the pain intensity during rest between WI and TAP block. TAP block significantly reduced pain scores compared to WI throughout rest and movements at 12 and 24 h. Patients who had a TAP block had considerably lower postoperative morphine use and postoperative nausea and vomiting occurrence. In patients undergoing abdominal surgery, there are moderate-to-high-level indications that the TAP block offers superior analgesia versus WI.