Does the Transversus Abdominis Plane(TAP) Block Effectively Manage Pain After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?

August 30, 2026 updated by: Syeda Zareen Raza, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre

Does the Transversus Abdominis Plane(TAP) Block Effectively Manage Pain After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?. A Randomised Controlled Trial

The study is about managing pain after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery. Pain after surgery is very common and can affect recovery, delay normal activities, and increase the length of hospital stay. Poorly controlled pain can also increase the risk of developing long-term pain.

Good pain control can make patients more comfortable, reduce the need for opioid painkillers, shorten hospital stay, and improve patient satisfaction.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a common surgery for gallstones. Although it is done through small cuts, patients can still experience significant pain after the operation. This pain can come from the surgical wounds, the abdominal organs, and pain felt in other areas.

A TAP block is a type of regional anesthesia that numbs the nerves supplying the abdominal wall. Previous studies have shown that TAP blocks may help reduce pain after surgery. However, there is limited research about its effectiveness in Pakistan and similar settings.

Therefore, this study will compare patients who undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a TAP block to those who undergo the surgery without a TAP block. The study will assess their pain levels, how much pain medication they need, and how long they stay in the hospital.

The main aim is to determine whether using a TAP block can provide better pain control, reduce the need for painkillers, and shorten hospital stay after laparoscopic gallbladder surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study focuses on the management of pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is a common surgery performed to remove the gallbladder, usually because of symptomatic gallstones. Although laparoscopic surgery is less invasive than open surgery, patients can still experience significant pain after the procedure. This pain can affect their comfort, recovery, ability to move normally, and the time they need to remain in the hospital.

Postoperative pain is an important problem because poorly controlled acute pain can have both short-term and long-term effects. It may delay recovery, increase the need for painkillers, particularly opioids, and prolong hospital admission. In some patients, inadequately treated acute pain may also contribute to the development of chronic pain. Therefore, effective pain management is an important part of postoperative care.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with different types of pain. The pain may come from the surgical incision sites, from the internal abdominal organs, or may be felt in another area of the body as referred pain. Because of these different sources, several methods have been used to control pain after surgery. These include conventional painkillers and different regional anesthesia techniques.

One of these techniques is the Transversus Abdominis Plane block, commonly called a TAP block. In this procedure, local anesthetic is injected into the plane between the abdominal muscles. The aim is to block the nerves that carry pain sensation from the abdominal wall. By reducing pain transmission, the TAP block may decrease the amount of pain experienced by the patient after surgery.

Previous studies have reported that TAP blocks can provide better postoperative pain control and may reduce the need for analgesic medications. However, most of the available evidence comes from studies conducted outside Pakistan. There is relatively limited local evidence about how effective and safe TAP blocks are in Pakistani patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Differences in patient characteristics, surgical techniques, anesthesia practices, and pain management protocols between countries make local research important.

This study is therefore designed to compare patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a TAP block to patients undergoing the same surgery without a TAP block. The researchers will assess whether the TAP block provides better postoperative pain control and reduces the need for additional pain medication.

The study will mainly assess three outcomes. The first is the patient's postoperative pain score, which will show whether patients receiving a TAP block experience less pain. The second is the amount of analgesic medication required after surgery, which will help determine whether the TAP block reduces the need for additional painkillers. The third is the length of hospital stay, which will show whether better pain control allows patients to recover and be discharged earlier.

Overall, the purpose of this study is to determine whether adding a TAP block to laparoscopic cholecystectomy can improve postoperative recovery. If the TAP block is found to significantly reduce pain, decrease analgesic requirements, and shorten hospital stay, it could support the use of TAP blocks as part of routine pain management for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the local hospital setting.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

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 Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Sindh
      • Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, 75500
        • Jinnah postgraduate medical university

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with symptomatic cholelithiasis and advised to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
  • Both Genders
  • Age more than 10 years and not above 60 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with contraindications for surgery.
  • Patients below the age of 10 years or above 60 years.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy with TAP Block
Patients in this group will undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy with a Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block. The TAP block will be given as a regional anesthesia technique to reduce postoperative abdominal pain. Their postoperative pain will be assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery. Their analgesic requirements and length of hospital stay will also be recorded.
Procedure: TAP Block
The intervention will consist of a Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block performed in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The TAP block will involve the injection of a local anesthetic into the plane between the abdominal muscles to block sensory nerves supplying the abdominal wall. It will be used to reduce postoperative pain and decrease the need for additional analgesic medication. Its effectiveness will be assessed by comparing postoperative pain scores, analgesic requirements, and length of hospital stay with patients who do not receive a TAP block.
Other Names:
  • Transversus abdominis plane block
  • Transverse abdominis plane block
  • Abdominal wall TAP Block
No Intervention: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy without TAP Block
Patients in this group will undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy without receiving a Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block. They will receive the usual postoperative pain management provided as part of routine care. Their postoperative pain will be assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery. Their analgesic requirements and length of hospital stay will also be recorded.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative pain score
Time Frame: At 0 (recovery room), 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery.
Pain will be measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain. Higher scores indicate greater postoperative pain (worse outcome).
At 0 (recovery room), 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Length of hospital stay
Time Frame: From the time of completion of surgery until hospital discharge, assessed continuously during the postoperative period up to 7 days after surgery or until discharge, whichever occurs first.
The duration of hospitalization after laparoscopic cholecystectomy will be measured and compared between patients who receive a TAP block and those who do not.
From the time of completion of surgery until hospital discharge, assessed continuously during the postoperative period up to 7 days after surgery or until discharge, whichever occurs first.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre

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.

General Publications

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 (Estimated)

August 30, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NO.F.2-81/2026-GENL/49/JPMC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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