ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) commonly experience moderate to severe postoperative pain. We conducted a randomized, prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study to evaluate the analgesic effect of laparoscopic-guided TAP (LG-TAP) block after LSG in a high-volume bariatric center, applying an enhanced recovery after bariatric surgery (ERABS) pathway. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred ten patients were randomly allocated to receive LG-TAP block with local anesthetic (LA) or saline solution (placebo), both combined with port-site infiltration with LA (LA-PSI). Primary outcome was pain score measured in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and at 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes included postoperative nausea and/or vomiting (PONV), analgesic requirement, time to walking, time to flatus, length of hospital stay (LOS), and surgical complications. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between LG-TAP and placebo groups in postoperative analgesia, with a median (IQR) NRS of 2 (4.75-0) vs. 2 (5.25-0) in PACU, 5.5 (7-3) vs. 6 (7-4) at 6 h, 2 (6-0) vs. 3 (5.25-1.75) at 12 h, and 2 (3.75-0) vs. 1 (2-0) at 24 h; all p > 0.05. A significant difference was found in PONV in PACU (LG-TAP, 46%; placebo, 25%, p-value, 0.019) and at 6 h postoperatively (LG-TAP, 69%, placebo, 41%, p-value, 0.003). No differences were observed as regards other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that LG-TAP block is not related to more effective postoperative analgesia compared to placebo when LA-PSI is performed.