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Mental health

Reduced Incidence of Postoperative Delirium through Transversus Abdominis Plane Block: A Study

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Recent research has shed light on the potential benefits of transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) in reducing the incidence of postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. A study published in BMC Anesthesiology found that the use of TAPB was significantly associated with a reduced incidence of POD in this patient population.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from 5,220 elderly patients who underwent major gastrointestinal surgery between January 2016 and March 2022. The results showed that the incidence of POD was significantly lower in patients receiving TAPB, with an odds ratio of 0.351 (95% CI 0.163 to 0.663, P = 0.003). The protective effect of TAPB was consistently demonstrated across various analytical methods, including propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study aimed to assess the association between TAPB and POD in elderly patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery.
  • A total of 5,220 patients were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 75.2 years.
  • The incidence of POD was significantly lower in patients receiving TAPB, with an odds ratio of 0.351 (95% CI 0.163 to 0.663, P = 0.003).
  • The protective effect of TAPB was consistently demonstrated across various analytical methods, including propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting.
  • Current evidence suggests that the use of TAPB is significantly associated with a reduced incidence of POD in elderly patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery.
  • The study was conducted at the Department of Anesthesiology, First Medical Centre of Chinese PLA General Hospital, in Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Statistics:

  • 5,220 patients were included in the analysis.
  • The odds ratio of POD in patients receiving TAPB was 0.351 (95% CI 0.163 to 0.663, P = 0.003).
  • The incidence of POD was significantly lower in patients receiving TAPB.

Sources:

  • Association of transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) with postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Anesthesiology, 2025;25(1):464.
  • NewsRx. New Delirium Study Findings Recently Were Reported by Researchers at Department of Anesthesiology [Association of transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) with postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients undergoing major gastrointestinal ...]. Mental Health Weekly Digest. October 13, 2025; p 979.

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