Anesthesia & Clinical Research
Open Access

Abstract

Comparative Study of Ultrasound-Guided Transversus Abdominis Plane with Conventional Ilioinguinal/Iliohypogastric Nerve Blocks for Analgesia in Open Inguinal Hernia Repair

Kartika Rathi, R D Patel, Rucha Gilda, Amit kumar Rathi

Background: Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block has been reported to provide effective analgesia after lower abdominal surgery, but there are few data comparing ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve (IHN) block with ultrasound-guided TAP block in patients undergoing inguinal hernia repair.
Material and Methods: Eighty two patients undergoing open inguinal hernia repair were randomly allocated to receive either ultrasound-guided TAP block or blind IHN/ILN block with bupivacaine 0.25% 20ml after surgery. In INH/ILN block two injections of 10ml 0.25% bupivacaine each were given at two conventional sites. Both group patients were given general anesthesia. Patients were monitored for visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at rest and on coughing in the recovery room and ward at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours and number of rescue analgesia required respectively.
Research: Total fifteen patients in blind INH block required post-operative rescue analgesia whereas in TAP group only two required rescues. Ten out of fifteen required 1 rescue and four required 2 rescues remaining one required 3 rescues in INH group. VAS scores were lower at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours in TAP group .No complications were observed in both the groups.
Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided TAP block provided better post-operative analgesia with better VAS scores and reduction in rescue analgesia than ‘blind’ IHN block in inguinal hernia repair with no complications observed in both groups.