Sacrocolpopexy is a procedure to correct prolapse of the vaginal apex (top of the vagina) in women who have had a previous hysterectomy. The operation is designed to restore the vagina to its normal position and function. Pain management is an important aspect of perioperative anesthetic care. Acute postoperative pain control impacting surgical outcomes remains a controversial topic~The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block was first presented by Rafi in 2001 as a landmark-guided technique via the triangle of Petit to achieve a field block. It involves the injection of a local anesthetic between the internal oblique muscle and transversus abdominis muscle. The thoracolumbar nerves originating from the T6 to L1 spinal roots run into this plane and supply sensory nerves to the anterolateral abdominal wall, the local anesthetic in this plane can block the neural afferents and provide analgesia to the anterolateral abdominal wall. The Tap block is a widely used procedure to help in postoperative pain management, it is easily performed, cost-effective, with minimal procedure-related morbidity. The use of Tap block is in concordance with several of the goals of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Pathways (ERAS). In a systematic review comparing Tap bloc to no tap block for post-hysterectomy pain found that visual analog score (VAS) was lower in patients receiving tap block in both open and laparoscopic hysterectomy procedures. The study found no significant difference in the amount of morphine used by patients who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy and received a tap block. Currently the standard of care at Promedica hospitals is to give patients oral medications to control postop pain after sacrocolpopexy. Patients are offered to receive a tap block or no, and it is up to the patient to receive the tap block or no.~No Studies on Tap block after Sacrocolpopexy have been published yet. Our hypothesis is that Tap block will reduce the need for pain meds during the first 24 to 48 hours after sacrocolpopexy.
The purpose of this study is to assess whether the transversus abdominis plane block (Tap block) is different than the oral postoperative pain medications in controlling pain after robotic sacrocolpopexy.