AANA Journal: Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Blocks versus Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Blocks in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis-Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Blocks versus Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Blocks in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Blocks versus Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Blocks in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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In a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the AANA Journal, the efficacy of bilateral Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) blocks versus bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) blocks in patients undergoing abdominal surgeries was assessed. The study involved analyzing 16 studies consisting of 934 patients. Results showed that ESP blocks were superior to TAP blocks in reducing resting and dynamic pain intensity in the first 24 hours postoperatively, lowering postoperative opioid consumption, and prolonging the time to first rescue analgesic. However, no significant differences were found in intraoperative opioid consumption and the incidence of nausea or vomiting between the two techniques. While ESP blocks provided statistical superiority in acute pain management, the clinical relevance of the differences observed was noted to be small. Substantial heterogeneity was observed in the study findings, and caution is advised in implementing ESP blocks in clinical practice due to existing clinical and methodological heterogeneity. The findings suggest that ESP blocks offer improved acute pain management and decreased opioid consumption compared to TAP blocks in patients undergoing abdominal surgeries. Further research and consideration of clinical relevance are warranted before widespread adoption of ESP blocks in clinical practice.

Keywords

Erector Spinae Plane blocks

Transversus Abdominis Plane blocks

abdominal surgeries

pain management

postoperative opioid consumption

rescue analgesic

meta-analysis

clinical relevance

acute pain

AANA Journal