the Effect of the Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block on the Minimal Laparotomy : a Randomized Controlled Trial

Transversus abdominis plane block (TAP block) is a new regional block for abdominal wall.It had been reported the effect of post-operative pain control in minor abdominal surgery, such as inguinal hernia repair and appendectomy. On the other hand, because of the accurate of the pre-operative images, the minimal laparotomy for colon cancer was accomplished. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect, such as analgesic effect, hemodynamic stability, and post-operative morphine consumption, of TAP block in minimal laparotomy.

outcome measures:

• Hemodynamic parameters (mean artery pressure, heart rate): recorded at time points of before induction of general anesthesia (baseline), after tracheal intubation immediately, after surgery started 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min; then recorded them every 10 mins.
• Post-operative morphine consumption: recorded morphine consumption at the time intervals of post-operative 0~6 h, 6~12 h, 12~24 h, 24~36 h, and 36~48 h ,respectively. The total amount of morphine consumption was also counted.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Anesthesiologists physical status I-III, ≧ 18 years of age, and needed double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) for thoracic surger

Exclusion Criteria:

• increased risk for regurgitation and pulmonary aspiration, history of gastroesophageal reflux, and pregnancy
• a tracheostomy or prolonged ventilation on ICU was planned, patients were also excluded