Transversus Abdominis Plane Block

Abstract

Regional anaesthesia is a rapidly evolving subspecialty of anaesthesia. Of late, there has been an increasing interest in the use of abdominal plane blocks for post-operative analgesia post-abdominal wall surgery. There are promising data emerging on the efficacy of these blocks. Of particular importance is the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, which has proven to be beneficial in reducing post-operative pain scores and opioid consumption when used as part of a multimodal regime in post-operative analgesia. Interest in techniques and applications of the TAP block has expanded exponentially since its introduction over 10 years ago. Clinical trials are continuing to be published examining the role of TAP blocks with various abdominal surgeries, and variants of the TAP block are constantly being conceived to extend the analgesic properties of the block. The choice of techniques and approaches has been assisted by the availability of ultrasound, but the optimal injection sites for different types of surgical incisions remains unclear. The TAP block continues to evolve and is becoming pivotal to our daily anaesthetic practice.