Postoperative Pain Will be Compared in Cholecystectomy Patients: Half Receiving TAP Block and Half Without it.

Comparison Of Patients Post Operative Pain Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Receiving Tap Block Vs Not Receiving Tap Block

This study compares the effectiveness of a Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block in reducing post-operative pain for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Sixty patients were divided into two groups: one group received a TAP block with a local anesthetic at the end of surgery, and the control group did not. The main goal was to see if the TAP block significantly lowers pain scores (measured on a scale of 0 to 10) within the first 12 hours after surgery and if it reduces the need for additional pain-relief medications.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pain, Postoperative; Cholelithiasis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Bupivacaine 0.25%; Other: Standard Post-Operative Care

Detailed Description

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard for treating symptomatic cholelithiasis; however, patients often experience significant in the early post-operative period. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted at the Department of Surgery, Liaquat College of Medicine & Dentistry, Karachi, to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of the TAP block.

A total of 60 patients, aged 18-60 years with ASA I or II, were randomized into two equal groups (n=30 each). The intervention group received an TAP block while the control group received standard post-operative analgesia.

The primary objective was to compare the mean Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score at 12 hours post-operation. Secondary objectives included assessing the time to the first request for rescue analgesia and the type of analgesic drug used. Data were analyzed to determine if the TAP block provides superior pain control compared to conventional methods.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Karachi, Pakistan
    • Darul Sehat Hospital- Liaquat College of Medicine & Dentistry.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients aged 18-60 years
• Both genders
• Patients diagnosed with Cholelithiasis in accordance with operational definition and planned to undergo Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with ASA of ≥ 3
• Patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis, empyema, mucocele or perforated gall bladder
• Patients planned to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy alongside other abdominal procedures
• Patients with body mass index of ≥ 35 Kg/m2
• Patients with history of coagulation disorders like hemophilia or those with history of anti-platelet drugs use in last 2 weeks
• Pregnant females

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: TAP Block Group; Patients in this group received a Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block at the end of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy but before extubation.	Drug: Bupivacaine 0.25%; Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block administered by injecting 20ml of 0.25% Bupivacaine between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles.
Other: Control Group (The No TAP Block Group); Patients in this group underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy under the same general anesthesia protocol but did not receive a TAP block	Other: Standard Post-Operative Care; Patients received the routine post-operative analgesia protocol of the hospital (e.g., IV Ketorolac or Paracetamol) without the administration of a TAP block

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Score for Pain	A subjective psychometric response scale used to measure pain intensity. It consists of a 10 cm line where 0 represents "no pain" and 10 represents "the worst pain imaginable.".	12 hours post-operation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time for First Request of Rescue Analgesia	The duration of time (in hours or minutes) from the end of the surgical procedure until the patient first requests additional pain medication due to inadequate pain control.	Within the first 24 hours post-operation.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Darul Sehat Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 11, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 11, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): August 11, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 7, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 7, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Gallbladder; ERAS; Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy; Visual Analog Scale; TAP Block; Post Operative Pain; Post Operative Opioid Consumption
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Postoperative Complications; Pathologic Processes; Digestive System Diseases; Biliary Tract Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain, Postoperative; Cholelithiasis
• Other Study ID Numbers: DarulSehatH

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: There is no plan to share individual participant data at this time

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No