Anesthetic techniques: focus on transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks

• Main Authors: Mallan D, Sharan S, Saxena S, Singh TK, Faisal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2019-09-01
• Series: Local and Regional Anesthesia
• Subjects: Tap Block; Ultrasound; Regional Anaesthesia; Truncal Block
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/anesthetic-techniques-focus-on-transversus-abdominis-plane-tap-blocks-peer-reviewed-article-LRA
• ISSN: 1178-7112

Deepanshu Mallan,1 Sandeep Sharan,2 Sumi Saxena,3 Tapas Kumar Singh,2 Faisal21Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Saraswati Medical College, Lucknow, India; 2Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India; 3Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, TSM Medical College, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaCorrespondence: Tapas Kumar SinghDepartment of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226014, IndiaEmail [e-mail]: Transverse abdominis plane (TAP) blocks, over the past decade, have emerged as a reliable tool in multimodal analgesia. Although they block only the somatic component of pain, studies have still revealed a consistent benefit in the first 24–48 hours after surgery in terms of pain scores and overall opioid consumption. The safety and dependability has increased with ultrasound usage. The aim of this review is to help the reader appreciate the applied anatomy required for a TAP block and its congeners, to standardize its nomenclature, and to help choose between variants of a TAP block and its complications and safety profile.Keywords: tap block, ultrasound, regional anesthesia, truncal block