Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40069343›Full record

SynthesisHernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery2025

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block for postoperative pain management after ventral hernia repair: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ana Caroline D Rasador, Carlos A Balthazar da Silveira, Natália P Pereira, Raquel Nogueira, Flavio Malcher, Diego Laurentino Lima

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. The effect of surgical approach on opioid prescription rates for outpatient ventral hernia repair.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ana Caroline D RasadorDignity Health, St. Joseph's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Carlos A Balthazar da SilveiraDignity Health, St. Joseph's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA.
Natália P PereiraHospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, SP, 01323-020, Brazil.
Raquel NogueiraDepartment of Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY, 10641, USA.
Flavio MalcherDivision of General Surgery, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, 10022, USA.
Diego Laurentino LimaDepartment of Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY, 10641, USA. dilaurentino@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0001-7383-1284

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPostoperative pain remains a common concern following ventral hernia repair (VHR), especially for open procedures. We aim to assess the effectiveness of the Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block for the management of postoperative pain following VHR.

methodsCochrane, EMBASE, and PubMED, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were systematically searched for studies comprising adults undergoing VHR with preoperative TAP block, compared to placebo and epidural analgesia. The outcomes selected for analysis were postoperative pain with the numeric rating scale (NRS), postoperative morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per day, and hospital length of stay (LOS). Subgroup analysis was performed for studies using the Liposomal Bupivacaine (Exparel

results1,460 results were screened, and 14 included, comprising 9 retrospective cohort studies and 5 RCTs, totaling 1,617 patients. TAP block was associated with a shorter LOS compared to conventional pain measures (MD -1,14 days; 95% CI -2.05, -0.22; P = 0.014) and to epidural analgesia (MD -2.02 days; 95% CI -2.67, -1.37; P < 0.001), and lower NRS scale in the day of surgery (MD -1.24; 95% CI -1.81, -0.68; P < 0.001) and in the POD1 (MD -0.63; 95% CI -1.18, -0.08; P = 0.025) compared to placebo. No benefit was seen for TAP block regarding opioid consumption compared to epidural analgesia and placebo. No differences were seen between TAP block and epidural analgesia for the NRS scores. Subgroup analysis of Exparel

conclusionsThe TAP block is associated with shorter LOS compared to placebo and epidural analgesia and is related to less early postoperative pain compared to the conventional pain measures. The TAP block should be considered as a pain management modality for VHR, however cost-effective analysis is required to address the feasibility of the routine utilization of this approach and to balance the financial benefits of its application.

Indexed as

Abdominal MusclesHernia, VentralHerniorrhaphyNerve BlockPain ManagementPostoperative PainAnalgesia, EpiduralAnesthetics, LocalBupivacaineHumansLength of StayPain MeasurementAnesthetics, LocalBupivacaineAbdominal wallAnalgesiaHerniaPlane blockVentral hernia

Identifiers

PMID40069343

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.