PHILADELPHIA—A randomized controlled trial has come to surprising conclusions about the efficacy of the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block with either bupivacaine or liposomal bupivacaine in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. The CLEVELAND trial found that TAP blocks offered little analgesia following these procedures, and did not reduce opioid consumption in the first or 72 hours after surgery relative to controls.
“TAP blocks are among the easiest blocks to perform, have