Abdominal wall blocks in robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy

Introduction: There are reported benefits of abdominal wall blocks in robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN).However, the evidence regarding the type of technique used is scarce.Objetive: To assess whether the type of blockade used is associated with the intensity of immediate postoperative pain (at 1 and 2 hours of follow-up) in patients undergoing RAPN.Methods: Retrospective cohort study, where anonymous records of adult patients undergoing RAPN in a hospital were analysed.Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for categorical variables.Logistic regression models were addressed to assess the association of the covariates of interest with postoperative pain at one and two hours of follow-up.Results: Preliminary results of ongoing study, 240 patients were analysed (64% received a blockade).No significant differences were found between the use (and type) of abdominal wall blockade and the pain category reported.In the multivariate analysis, no significant differences were found with degrees of obesity, type of abdominal wall blockade, for postoperative pain at one and two hours of follow-up.Conclusions: Our results suggest a lack of association between the different types of abdominal wall blocks with the intensity of immediate postoperative pain (at one and two hours).Similarly, no associations were found with other variables of interest.Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential utility of blocks in robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy.