Comparison of QLB Block and TAP Block in Morbid Obese Patients

February 20, 2024 updated by: Assistant Prof. Dr. Suna Koc MD, Biruni University

Comparison of QLB Block and TAP Block in Terms of Pain Management and Patient Satisfaction in Morbidly Obese Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Quadratus lumborum block (QLB) and Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks are regional anesthesia techniques that are frequently used to reduce postoperative pain and are an important part of the current analgesic regimen for many abdominal surgeries. In our clinic, researchers perform both blocks to provide postoperative analgesia. The primary aim of our study is to compare the effectiveness of TAP block and QLB block in postoperative pain control in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Secondary outcomes evaluated in this study were to assess postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), time to discharge, and patient satisfaction.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

As the number of obese patients increases, the number of surgeries performed for morbid-obese is also increasing. Pain following bariatric surgery is highly troubling and can lead to increased complication rate, decreased patient satisfaction rate, and prolonging the healing process, increasing the risk of pulmonary complications and the incidence of deep vein thrombosis. Since postoperative recovery is directly related to the severity and duration of pain, it is imperative to reduce postoperative pain as early as possible. Many post-operative methods have been suggested for patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a regional anesthesia technique routinely used to reduce postoperative pain.

Quadratus lumborum block (QLB) and Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks are regional anesthesia techniques that are frequently used to reduce postoperative pain and are an important part of the current analgesic regimen for many abdominal surgeries. Researchers are doing these two blocks in our clinic to provide postoperative analgesia. The aim of our study is to compare the effectiveness of TAP block and QLB block in postoperative pain control in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Secondary outcomes evaluated in this study were to assess postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), time to discharge, and patient satisfaction.

Many methods have been suggested to reduce postoperative abdominal wall pain, such as instillation of local anesthetics at the site of entry, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), epidural catheterization, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). It is known that opioid analgesics against acute postoperative pain cause postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) [3]. The mean incidence of PONV reported in the early postoperative period in patients undergoing bariatric surgery ranges from 30% to 50% [4].

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a routinely used regional anesthesia technique to reduce postoperative pain and is an important part of the current analgesic regimen for many abdominal surgeries [5]. A multimodal approach to pain management, with various combinations such as TAP blocks, local anesthetic infiltration and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has been suggested as the optimal combination for laparoscopic bariatric surgery [6]. Quadratus lumborum block (QLB) is one of the effective and routinely applied blocks in The primary aim of our study is to compare the effectiveness of TAP block and QLB block in postoperative pain control in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Secondary outcomes evaluated in this study were to assess postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), time to discharge, and patient satisfaction.

Method

Researchers planned to perform this study in a randomized controlled design in patients who will undergo laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in the operating room of Biruni University Hospital. After ethics committee approval, patients with BMI> 35 kg/m2, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, ASA I-III, general anesthesia will be applied and patients who agree to participate in the study will be included. Patients younger than 18 years of age with bleeding disorders (INR: 1.2, antithrombotic, antiaggregant drug use, hematological disorders, etc.) that are contraindications for regional anesthesia, and those with infection at the planned skin site, psychiatric or neurological disorders, and substance addictions, will be excluded from the study.

Randomization of patients will be provided through a computer program (software). After randomization, all patients will be brought to the operating room and then put to sleep with the general anesthesia method researchers apply daily. After the patients are routinely anesthesia administration TAP block will be applied to the 1st group, QLB block will be applied to the 2nd group, and no intervention will be performed to the 3rd group as it is the control group. Blocks will be performed with 0.25% bupivacaine under USG. PCA (patient controlled analgesia) will be administered to all patients in the postoperative period to provide analgesia. For rescue analgesia; If the VAS score of the patients reaches a level of >4 and above in the postoperative period, an additional 2mg IV bolus of morphine will be administered. In cases where it is not sufficient or it is needed again, it will be intervened again with 2 mg morphine until 4 <VAS VAS score (Preop -Post op 1., 6., 12 and 24 hours) and Patient Satisfaction (Preoperative and 48 hours) (World Health Organization) WHOQOL-BREF Quality of Life Assessment and analgesic consumption amount (Morphine consumption) as evaluation parameters of the patients : Post op 1st, 6th, 12th and 24th hours). It is planned to measure the effectiveness of the blocks by measuring the pain score and patient satisfaction in the preoperative and postoperative periods, and by measuring the amount of morphine consumed (in mg). In addition, it will be checked whether there is a change in discharge times between the groups in all patients. If complications such as postoperative nausea, vomiting, allergies, nerve damage and bleeding develop, they will be recorded.

The required number of patients was determined by power analysis. In the calculation using the data of Emile et al., if 15% change is expected according to the 1st Hour VAS value of the TAP block [7]. Researchers plan a continuous study of response variables from matching study subject groups. Previous data show that the difference of matched pairs is normally distributed with a standard deviation of 1.3. If the true difference in the mean response of the matched pairs is 0.72, Researchers would need to study 28 subjects per group to reject the null hypothesis that this difference in response is zero with probability (power) 0.8. The probability of Type I error associated with this test of the 'null hypothesis' is 0.05. At least 84 patients for the three groups should be analyzed. Researchers plan to include 94 patients with a 10% probable dropout rate.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

124

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

    • Besyol
      • Istanbul, Besyol, Turkey, 34295
        • Suna Koç
    • Kucukcekmece
      • Istanbul, Kucukcekmece, Turkey, 34295
        • Suna Koç

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • BMI> 35 kg/m2
  • Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy operation
  • ASA I-III
  • General anesthesia will be applied and patients who agree to participate in the study will be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients younger than 18 years of age
  • Bleeding disorders (INR: 1.2, antithrombotic, antiaggregant drug use, hematological disorders, etc.) That are contraindications for regional anesthesia, and those with infection at the planned skin site
  • Psychiatric or neurological disorders, and substance addictions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Control group
No intervention + Patient Control Analgesia (PCA)
Control Group + Patient Control Analgesia (PCA)
Experimental: QLB group
QLB group Block will be applied + Patient Control Analgesia (PCA)
Quadratus lumborum block is a block of the posterior abdominal wall, "interfascial plane block," which is performed exclusively under ultrasound guidance. It was described as a variant of the TAP block.
Other Names:
  • Quadratus lumborum block (QLB)
Experimental: TAP group
TAP Block group will be applied + Patient Control Analgesia (PCA)
The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block was introduced as a landmark-guided technique via the triangle of Petit to achieve a field block. It involves the injection of a local anesthetic solution into a plane between the internal oblique muscle and transversus abdominis muscle.
Other Names:
  • Transversus abdominis plane (TAP)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain management
Time Frame: 24th hours after surgery
VAS value (Visual Analogue Scale) : 10cm line, with two end points representing 0 ('no pain') and 10 ('pain as bad as it could possibly be')
24th hours after surgery
Pain management
Time Frame: 24th hours after surgery
Morphine consumption
24th hours after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: Preoperative and after 7 days
WHOQOL-BREF Quality of Life Assessment
Preoperative and after 7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Study Director: Mehmet I Buget, Assoc Prof, Biruni Universty

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 20, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 20, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

February 21, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 27, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 7, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

April 19, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

February 21, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2024

Last Verified

February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2015-KAEK-76-23-02

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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