Rectus Sheath Block Efficacy for Patients Who Underwent Emergency Midline Laparotomy at a Resource Limited Setting in Northcentral Ethiopia, 2019.

Abstract Background Midline laparotomy is associated with severe postoperative pain. Literature showed controversial results regarding the efficacy of the rectus sheath block. Objective To assess the effectiveness of rectus sheath block efficacy for patients who underwent emergency midline laparotomy at a resource limited setting in Northcentral Ethiopia, from February 01 to March 30, 2019. Methods This is a prospective cohort study that recruits 60 patients who underwent emergency midline laparotomy. Independent t-test and Manny Whitney tests were used for numeric data while Chi-Square or Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables. P-values < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results The median (interquartile range) of the numeric rating scale score at the recovery was 3(3-4) for an exposed group and 4.5(3-4.5) for an unexposed group with a p-value of 0.039. Postoperative numeric rating scale scores at 3 rd , 6 th , 12 th , and 24 th hours were statistically significantly lower in the exposed group. Postoperative tramadol consumption in 24 hours was significantly lower with a p-value of 0.0001 for the rectus sheath group. Conclusions For surgeries done through midline laparotomy, adding bilateral rectus sheath block (BRSB) at the end of the operation might be an effective postoperative analgesia option.