“Pain following colorectal surgery remains an ongoing problem and is associated with significant opioid use,” said Pamela Paquet, MD, a resident at Laval University in Laval, Quebec. “Considering that opioids and pain can adversely affect patient recovery, regional anesthetic techniques such as abdominal wall block are an interesting strategy to consider in a multimodal analgesic approach.
“Over the past few years, many abdominal wall blocks have been used to improve postoperative pain following abdominal surgeries. In particular, the quadratus lumborum block seems advantageous over others, because according to previous studies it can last up to 48 hours and offers coverage of dermatomes from T7 to L2. Nevertheless, its effectiveness remains controversial,” Dr. Paquet said.