Transversus Abdominis Plane Catheter: a Study of Method

Aalborg University Hospital

Status: Completed

Conditions: Postoperative Pain

Treatments: Procedure: Placing bilateral TAP-catheters preoperatively; Drug: Bupivacain 2.5 mg/ml with epinephrine bolus in TAP-catheters

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01395043

N-20100001

Details and patient eligibility

About

Major abdominal surgery is associated with postoperative pain. Transversus Abdominis Plane(TAP) block has been shown to reduce pain and opioid-requirements after abdominal surgery. However a single block has a short effect of up to 12 hours depending on the type local-anesthetics used.

With this study we wish to investigate the possibilities to place a TAP-catheter in order to prolong the the effect of the TAP-block by giving repeatedly bolus-injections in the TAP catheter and to study the pain and the opioid requirements of patients undergoing elective colon-resection when given a TAP-catheter preoperatively.

Our hypothesis is that it is practical and technical possible to place bilateral TAP-catheters pre-operatively and that pain and opioid-requirements will be low.

Full description

Postoperative pain is a major challenge in the work of anesthesia. Epidural catheter is the golden standard for postoperative pain management after major abdominal surgery. However a number of patient have absolute or relative contraindication to the placement of an epidural catheter. It is therefore necessary to find a good alternative to epidural catheter.

Transversus abdominis plane(TAP) block has been shown to provide analgesia of the abdominal wall and reduce opioid-requirements and pain after abdominal surgery.

However the effect of a TAP block is limited to the time of efficacy of the local analgesic used. Placing a TAP-catheter in order to prolong the effect of the TAP-block by repeatedly bolus-injections in the TAP-catheters has only been sporadically described and so far never investigated in a systematic way.

We will investigate the practical and technical possibility to place bilateral ultrasound-guided TAP-catheters pre-operatively on patients undergoing elective colon-resection. Further more we will evaluate the pain and opioid-requirement postoperatively.

Enrollment: 15 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• elective open colon-resection
• adult
• written and informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• re-operation within the first 48 hours
• need for sedation and ventilator-support postoperatively
• accidental removal of catheter within the first 24 hours

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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15 participants in 1 patient group

TAP-catheter

Other group

Description:

Each patient receives bilateral TAP-catheters preoperatively.

Treatment:

Drug: Bupivacain 2.5 mg/ml with epinephrine bolus in TAP-catheters

Procedure: Placing bilateral TAP-catheters preoperatively