Postoperative pain scores and opioid use after standard bupivacaine vs. liposomal bupivacaine regional blocks for abdominal cancer surgery: A propensity score matched study.

Background: Fascial plane blocks (FPBs) are widely used for abdominal surgery with the assumption that liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is more effective than standard bupivacaine (SB).

Methods: This was a single-institution retrospective cohort study of patients administered FPBs with LB or SB ​+ ​admixtures (dexamethasone/dexmedetomidine) for open abdominal cancer surgery. Propensity score matching generated a 2:1 (LB:SB) matched cohort.

Perioperative blood transfusions and survival in resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients given multimodality therapy.

Background And Objectives: The impact of perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) on outcomes for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients given multimodality therapy (MMT) remains undefined. We sought to evaluate the association of PBT with survival after PDAC resection.

Methods: Pancreatectomy patients (July 2011-December 2017) who received MMT were abstracted from a prospective database.

Impact of Intraoperative Dexamethasone on Surgical and Oncologic Outcomes for Patients with Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Administration of dexamethasone to mitigate postoperative nausea and vomiting has been suggested to improve short- and long-term outcomes after pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) resection. This study aimed primarily to evaluate these hypotheses in a contemporary patient cohort treated with multimodality therapy.

Methods: The clinicopathologic and perioperative characteristics of consecutive resected PDAC patients (July 2011 to October 2018) were analyzed from a prospectively maintained database.

Inpatient Opioid Use After Pancreatectomy: Opportunities for Reducing Initial Opioid Exposure in Cancer Surgery Patients.

Background: Despite advances in enhanced surgical recovery programs, strategies limiting postoperative inpatient opioid exposure have not been optimized for pancreatic surgery. The primary aims of this study were to analyze the magnitude and variations in post-pancreatectomy opioid administration and to characterize predictors of low and high inpatient use.

Methods: Clinical characteristics and inpatient oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) were downloaded from electronic records for consecutive pancreatectomy patients at a high-volume institution between March 2016 and August 2017.

Subcostal Transverse Abdominis Plane Block for Acute Pain Management: A Review.

The subcostal transverse abdominis plane (SCTAP) block is the deposition of local anesthetic in the transverse abdominis plane inferior and parallel to the costal margin. There is a growing consensus that the SCTAP block provides better analgesia for upper abdominal incisions than the traditional transverse abdominis plane block. In addition, when used as part of a four-quadrant transverse abdominis plane block, the SCTAP block may provide adequate analgesia for major abdominal surgery.