COMPARISON OF POSTOPERATIVE MEAN OPIOID CONSUMPTION IN PATIENTS GIVEN (TAP) VERSUS PLACEBO UNDERGOING LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Early postoperative pain from laparoscopic cholecystectomy is moderate. A transverses abdominis plane block (TAP) may be an attractive analgesic strategy for reducing postoperative opioid consumption and side effects. The study aimed to assess postoperative mean opioid utilization in patients administered (TAP) block versus placebo undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Department ofAnesthesiology, Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital Gujrat,from June 1, 2022, toSeptember 30, 2022. A total of80 patients undergoingLaparoscopic cholecystectomy fulfilling inclusion criteria were recruited and further divided into two equal groups. TAP block procedure was performed in both groups. In group A, 40 patients received 20 mL of isotonic saline 0.9% bilaterallyas a placebo, and in group B, 40 patients had 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine. The two groups werecompared for the mean consumption dose of opioid analgesia in 24 hours postoperatively. A T-test was appliedfor statistical differences. (p-Value < 0.05 was taken as significant. Data was collected on specially designed proforma.The total tramadol consumption decreased by 35% in the TAP block group (280.19 ± 56.67mg) compared to the control group (428.79 ± 58.69mg), and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001).The mean total pain scores were significantly lower in the TAP block group (46.47 ± 6.17) compared to the control group (60.52 ± 5.67). Thus, it can be concluded from the study that theTAP block is an effective analgesia regimen for reducing postoperative mean opioid requirement and painafter Laparoscopic cholecystectomy.