Comparison Between Ultrasound Guided Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block Versus Local Wound Infiltration for Post Operative Pain Management in Patients Undergoing Appendectomy

Objective: To compare the frequency of intra-operative and post-operative analgesia with pre-operative transverses abdominis plane (TAP) block with local wound infiltration of anesthetic agent. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Hospital-Combined Military Hospital (SKBZH-CMH) Muzaffarabad, Pakistan Nov 2023 to Apr 2024. Methodology: After ethical permission this quasi-experimental study was performed with a sample of 145 patients randomized into two Groups named: T and W were subjected to laproscopic appendectomy. Group T comprised patients who received TAP block and Group W comprised patients who received local wound infiltration. The primary outcome was intra-operative analgesia and post-operative pain scores at zero hours, 4 hours and 8 hours. The secondary outcome was the presence or absence of post-operative nausea and vomiting. Visual analogue score (VAS) was used as tool for objective measurement of pain. Results: The sample consisted of a total of 145 patients with 72 patients in Group T and 73 patients in Group W. One (1.4%) patient had mild pain in post-anesthesia care unit at zero hours in Group T versus 7(9.6%) patients in Group W. One (1.4%) patient in Group W had moderate pain at zero post-operative hours and 7(9.6%) had mild pain. Six (8.3%) patients in Group T had mild pain and 66(91.7) had no pain at 4th post-operative hour. The frequency of intra-operative pain was higher in Group T compared to Group W. Conclusion: We concluded that pre-operative transversus abdominis plane (TAP) provides better peri-operative analgesia when ...