Analgesic Efficacy of Transverse Abdominis Plane Block and Quadratus Lumborum Block in Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Randomized Double-Blinded Clinical Trial

Introduction The analgesic effect and safety of transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) is still controversial in various abdominal procedures. Quadratus lumborum block (QLB) has been considered to provide a widespread and long-lasting analgesic effect in gynecological surgeries. However, the analgesic effects of these two techniques in patients with extreme obesity undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) are still unknown. Methods A total of 225 patients with obesity were randomly assigned to group TAPB ( n = 76, 30 ml 0.33% ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine 1 μg kg −1 ), group QLB ( n = 76, 30 ml 0.33% ropivacaine with dexmedetomidine 1 μg kg −1 ), or general anesthesia alone (GA, n = 73, 30 ml 0.9% saline). During the 48-h postoperative period, patients received continuous intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) containing sufentanil 2 μg kg −1 , dexmedetomidine 2 μg kg −1 , and granisetron 3 mg. The scores of visual analogue scale (VAS) in surgical incision and viscera, considering as the primary outcomes, were continuously recorded at postoperative 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 6, 12, 24, 48 h and discharge. Results Comparing with patients in the GA group, VAS scores of incision and viscera were consistently reduced during the initial 6–12 h after LSG in TAPB and QLB groups, and they received less propofol and remifentanil ( P