Effects of Continuous Bilateral QL Analgesia After Open Abdominal Surgery

Eligible patients will be randomized 1:1 without stratification to bilateral continuous QL catheters with local anesthetic continuous infusion (QL block + IV patient-controlled analgesia group) or normal saline continuous infusion (IV patient-controlled analgesia group).

In the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), patients will be given intravenous boluses of hydromorphone or fentanyl as needed. Following immediate recovery from anesthesia, patients will be provided with a hydromorphone IV patient-controlled analgesia pump with standard initial settings and an option of clinician dose for breakthrough pain. IV patient-controlled hydromorphone pump settings will be titrated to comfort level (pain score<4) by blinded clinicians.

Each of the catheters will be connected to patient controlled infusion pump running at a basal rate of 6mL/hour of 0.1% Bupivacaine or normal saline with on-demand bolus of 5 mL every 60 minutes to be started in the operating room before the surgical incision.

Opioid consumption first 72 hours or until discharge, whichever comes first will be recorded.

Pain scores during first 72 hours or until discharge, whichever comes first will be recorded with a verbal rating scale and obtained from the patient's electronic medical records.

The morning of post operative day 1 and post operative day 3 the ORSDS and QOR surveys will be completed.

Morning of the day of discharge, the overall patient satisfaction with pain management survey will be completed.