Transversus Abdominis Plane Block In Children Research Articles

Posterior transversus abdominis plane block versus lateral quadratus lumborum block in children undergoing open orchiopexy: a randomized clinical trial☆

BackgroundDue to the complex innervation of the testicle and spermatic cord, analgesic management can be challenging in orchiopexy. We aimed to compare the effects of posterior Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) and lateral Quadratus Lumborum Block (QLB) on analgesic use, pain, and parent satisfaction in unilateral orchiopexy. MethodsASA I–III, aged 6 months –to 12 years children undergoing unilateral orchiopexy were included to this double-blinded randomized trial. Patients were randomized into two groups with the closed envelope method before the surgery. Lateral QLB or posterior TAP block was applied under ultrasonography with 0.4 ml.kg−1 0.25% bupivacaine for both groups. The primary outcome was the assessment of additional analgesic usage in the peri-postoperative period. Evaluation of postoperative pain until 24 hours after surgery and parental satisfaction were also assessed as secondary outcomes. ResultsA total of 90 patients were included in the analysis (45 patients in each group). The number of patients needing remifentanil was significantly higher in the TAP group (p < 0.001). The average FLACC (TAP: 2.74 ± 1.8, QLB: 0.7 ± 0.84) and Wong-Baker scores (TAP: 3.13 ± 2.42, QLB: 0.53 ± 1.12) were significantly higher for TAP (p < 0.001). Additional analgesic consumption at the 10th, 20th minutes, 6th, 16th, and 24th hours, especially after the 6th hour, were significantly higher for TAP. Parent satisfaction was significantly higher in the QLB group (p < 0.001). ConclusionLateral QLB provided more effective analgesia than posterior TAP block in children undergoing elective open unilateral orchiopexy. Clinical Trials RegistryNCT03969316.

Efficacy of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to ropivacaine in transversus abdominis plane block for paediatric laparoscopic surgeries: A double-blinded randomised trial.

Background and Aims:α2 agonists have been utilised in regional blocks, but very little data is available for their use in transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in paediatric laparoscopic (LAP) surgeries. This study investigated the analgesic effect of ropivacaine alone versus its combination with dexmedetomidine for TAP block in children undergoing LAP surgery.METHODS:A randomised, double-blind trial was conducted in 50 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 1 and 2 children of 2–8 years undergoing LAP abdominal surgery. Children were randomised to receive a total volume of 0.5 ml/kg of 0.2% ropivacaine (LA group) or 0.2% ropivacaine with 1 μg/kg dexmedetomidine (LAD group) for performing ultrasound-guided bilateral TAP block postoperatively (PO). Patients were monitored PO for vital signs, pain, sedation, time to first rescue analgesic and total analgesic consumption for 24 h. Time to first rescue analgesic was expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) and analysed using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Pain and sedation scores were expressed as median [interquartile range (IQR)] and analysed using Mann–Whitney U test.Results:First rescue analgesic demand was significantly longer (P = 0.001) in LAD (474.8 min) versus LA group (240.9 min) but total analgesics consumption in first 24 h was comparable. Pain scores were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in LAD compared to LA group at all times PO. Each group had comparable but significantly lower sedation scores up to 24 h PO.Conclusion:Addition of dexmedetomidine to ropivacaine in TAP block prolongs the time to first analgesic requirement without a difference in the total analgesic consumption.

Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block for postoperative analgesia in neonates and young infants: retrospective analysis of a case series. TAP blocks in neonates and young infants.

The effectiveness of the TAP block in children has been well characterized in literature. However, there are only few reports about TAP block in the neonates and low birth weight groups. This is a retrospective observational analysis of ultrasound - assisted TAP blocks in neonates and young infants. The aim of this study to analyze retrospectively the analgesic effectiveness of TAP block in neonates and infants undergoing abdominal and inguinal surgeries. Thirty-four cases of neonates and infants with (whom) applied TAP block were retrospectively analyzed. The TAP block was performed postoperatively in supraumbilical surgeries and preoperatively in infraumbilical surgeries. The TAP block was applied with 0.8 ml/kg-1 of 0.25% bupivacaine in unilateral approach and 1.6 mlkg-1 of 0.125% bupivacaine in bilateral approach. The CRIES Pain Scale was used for postoperative pain measurement of neonates. The patient's age ranged from 2 to 88 day-old with a mean (SD) of 36.2(24.2). Eleven of them were premature babies. The weight ranged from 1.6 to 5.8 with a mean (SD) of 3.7kg (1.1). Twenty-nine patients were extubated at the end of the surgery and the other patients within 12 hours. 67.7% infants required no additional postoperative analgesic in 24 hours and none of them required narcotic analgesics. Our conclusion is that the use of TAP blocks results in low analgesic requirements and a low incidence of postoperative intubation and mechanical ventilation in neonates and infants. It should be considered in this age group of child for postoperative analgesia.

Transversus Abdominis Plane Block to Alleviate Postoperative Pain in Children: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block has been applied as one of multimodal approaches to alleviate postoperative pain in children. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the effect of TAP block on postoperative pain management for children who underwent surgery. Methods: The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which evaluated the analgesia effect of TAP block in children who underwent surgery were searched on the databases of Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and Google Scholar. The RCTs which compared the analgesic effect of TAP block group with control group (placebo or no treatment) in children were included. Postoperative opioid consumption (48 hours) was considered as the primary outcomes. The secondary outcomes included the number of children needed postoperative opioid analgesia rescue, the time to first analgesic administration (hours) and pain score. The risk ratios (RR), weighted mean differences (WMDs), and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for both dichotomous and continuous outcomes.Results: Five RCT trials with 257 children met our criteria and were included in the analysis. Compared with the control group, TAP block reduced the 48 hours morphine consumption by 0.03 mg/kg (95% CI -0.05 to -0.00, P=0.03, 159 children in 3 RCTs). Besides, the non-significant reductions were shown in the number of children needed postoperative opioid analgesia rescue (217 children in 4 RCTs) and time to first analgesic administration (hours, 184 children in 3 RCTs). Conclusions: TAP block is one of the safe and effective multimodal-approaches to alleviate postoperative pain in children. Specially, when the TAP block was used, it can significantly reduce the opioid consumption, which may avoid the occurrence of dose-dependent side effects of opioid drugs. Citation: Xiang Li, Xiao-Yun Li, Ji-Bin Xing, Ping Xiang, Zi-Qing Hei. Transversus abdominis plane block to alleviate postoperative pain in children: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Anesth Perioper Med 2015; 2: 197-204. doi: 10.24015/JAPM.2015.0027This is an open-access article, published by Evidence Based Communications (EBC). This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format for any lawful purpose. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Transversus abdominis plane block in children: a multicenter safety analysis of 1994 cases from the PRAN (Pediatric Regional Anesthesia Network) database.

Currently, there is not enough evidence to support the safety of the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block when used to ameliorate postoperative pain in children. Safety concerns have been repeatedly mentioned as a major barrier to performing large randomized trials in children. The main objective of the current investigation was to determine the incidence of overall and specific complications resulting from the performance of the TAP block in children. In addition, we evaluated patterns of local anesthetic dosage selection in the same population. This was an observational study using the Pediatric Regional Anesthesia Network database. A complication from the TAP block was defined by the presence of at least one of the following intraoperative and/or postoperative factors: puncture of the peritoneum or organs, vascular puncture, cardiovascular, pulmonary and/or neurological symptoms/signs, hematoma, and infection. Additional analyses were performed to identify patterns of local anesthetic dosage. One thousand nine hundred ninety-four children receiving a TAP block were included in the analysis. Only 2 complications were reported: a vascular aspiration of blood before local anesthetic injection and a peritoneal puncture resulting in an overall incidence of complications (95% CI) of 0.1% (0.02%-0.3%) and a specific incidence of complications (vascular aspiration or peritoneal puncture) of 0.05% (0.0054%-0.2000%). Neither of these complications resulted in additional interventions or sequelae. The median (95% range) for the local anesthetic dose per weight for bilateral TAP blocks was 1.0 (0.47-2.29) mg of bupivacaine equivalents per kilogram; however, subjects' weights were not sufficient to explain much of the variability in dose. One hundred thirty-five of 1944 (6.9%; 95% CI, 5.8%-8.1%) subjects received doses that could be potentially toxic. Subjects who received potentially toxic doses were younger than subjects who did not receive potentially toxic doses, 64 (19-100) months and 108 (45-158) months, respectively (P < 0.001). The upper incidence of overall complications associated with the TAP block in children was 0.3%. More important, complications were very minor and did not require any additional interventions. In contrast, the large variability of local anesthetic dosage used can not only minimize potential analgesic benefits of the TAP block but also result in local anesthetic toxicity. Safety concerns should not be a major barrier to performing randomized trials to test the efficacy of the TAP block in children as long as appropriate local anesthetic dose regimens are selected.

Ultrasound-guided tranversus abdominis plane block for herniorrhaphy in children

Regional anaesthesic techniques are commonly used for the management of pain following lower abdominal surgery in children. The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block has shown promise for perioperative analgesia, but data on the optimal dose regimen are limited. To evaluate the optimal dose of levobupivacaine for successful ultrasound-guided TAP block in children. A dose finding prospective study using Dixon's up-and-down sequential method. University Hospital Paediatric Anaesthesia Unit. Twenty-seven consecutive children aged 1 to 5 years scheduled for day-case elective herniorrhaphy. After standardised induction of general anaesthesia, ultrasound-guided TAP block was performed with a fixed volume of 0.2 ml kg(-1) of levobupivacaine solution. The dose of levobupivacaine was determined by Dixon's up-and-down method starting from 0.5 mg kg(-1)with an interval of 0.1 mg kg(-1). Block failure was defined as a 20% increase in heart rate or mean arterial pressure from baseline. Rescue analgesia consisted of intravenous remifentanil infusion during surgery and intravenous nalbuphine in the postanaesthetic care unit (PACU). Patients were assessed using the FLACC (face, legs, activity, cry and consolability) pain scale, the rescue analgesic consumption in the PACU and day-case unit and the postoperative pain measure for parents score at home. The mean effective dose of levobupivacaine resulting in an effective TAP block in 50% of cases (ED50) obtained by using Dixon's up-and-down sequential method. The ED50 and ED95 were further estimated by bootstrapping. The ED50 according to the up-and-down staircase method was 0.22 mg kg(-1) [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19 to 0.25]. Bootstrap replicates of the original dataset resulted in ED50 and ED95 estimates of 0.16 mg kg(-1) (95% CI 0.11 to 0.24) and 0.43 mg kg(-1)(95% CI 0.30 to 0.57), respectively. As part of a multimodal analgesia strategy, ultrasound-guided TAP block with 0.2 ml kg(-1)of 0.2% levobupivacaine provides successful peroperative analgesia in 95% of children who underwent herniorrhaphy.