Efficacy of bupivacaine liposome transversus abdominis plane block in enhancing postoperative recovery following laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection.

[OBJECTIVE] To evaluate the effect of bupivacaine liposome transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block on laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection patients for clinical practice.

[METHODS] This randomized controlled trial involved 60 patients (aged 57-84 years, weighing 41-84 kg, mean BMI 21.9 kg/m², ASA Class I/II) undergoing laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection with TAP block. Patients were divided into bupivacaine (Bup) and bupivacaine liposome (Bup + Lip) groups, each with 30 patients. Primary outcomes were postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores and sufentanil use. Secondary outcomes included recovery room stay, time to initiate oral intake, 72-h recovery quality, pain control satisfaction, and adverse event incidence.

[RESULTS] The study included 28 patients in Bup group and 27 patients in Bup + Lip group in the modiffed intention-to-treat (mITT) population. Compared to the Bup group, the Bup + Lip group had significantly lower VAS scores for both rest and movement at 12, 24, 48, and 72 h postoperatively (P < 0.05), reduced total sufentanil use (P < 0.05), shorter time to initiate oral intake (P < 0.05), and improved 72-h recovery quality (P < 0.05) and pain control satisfaction (P < 0.05). The Bup + Lip group also had a significantly lower incidence of adverse events within 72 h postoperatively (P < 0.05).

[CONCLUSION] Bupivacaine liposome TAP block significantly improves postoperative pain control, reduces recovery time, and enhances recovery quality and patient satisfaction with low adverse event incidence in laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection patients. It is an effective postoperative analgesic strategy recommended for clinical application.