Ultrasound-Guided Rectus Sheath Block versus Transversus Abdominus Plane Block for Post-Operative Analgesia in Elective Cesarean Section

Abstract

Nerve root or myofascial irritation at the abdominal wall is a common cause of pain following surgeries such as cesarean section, cholecystectomy, prostatectomy, hysterectomy and transplant surgery. Spinal is used as an anesthetic technique and systemic opioid analgesia techniques are often used to manage pain after abdominal surgeries and appropriate pain management is necessary for optimizing clinical outcomes and patients’ satisfaction. However, systematic opioids complications such as nausea, vomiting and respiratory depressions are often associated with opioid use. As a result, investigation of alternative analgesia regimens to enhance effectiveness in postoperative pain management while improving the safety profile has emerged as a significant field of inquire. The aim of this study is to test the efficacy of ultrasound guided transverse abdominis plane versus ultrasound guided rectus sheath block as regards its efficacy, hemodynamic stability, onset of post-operative pain, amount of post-operative narcotics used. In the current study eighty patients who received spinal anesthesia were included. Patients were divided randomly into two groups, each group consisted of 40 patients.