Improving Pain Management After Cesarean Birth Using Transversus Abdominis Plane Block With Liposomal Bupivacaine as Part of a Multimodal Regimen

Abstract

As educators, advocates, and champions for women's health, nurses play pivotal roles throughout a woman's pregnancy and childbirth journey. Most women experience postsurgical pain after cesarean birth and are prescribed opioids. Caution around opioid use warrants opioid-reducing strategies, particularly because exposure to opioids exacerbates risk for developing persistent postsurgical opioid use. Multimodal approaches can help address this concern. Regional anesthesia using transversus abdominis plane blocks with aqueous formulations of local anesthetics can reduce opioid consumption and pain but has a short duration of action. Liposomal formulation of bupivacaine prolongs its release, overcoming this obstacle. Transversus abdominis plane blocks with liposomal bupivacaine can reduce opioid use and pain after cesarean birth, improving recovery. These findings represent numerous implications for nursing practice to improve postcesarean pain management.

Keywords: cesarean; liposomal bupivacaine; multimodal; opioid; pain; postoperative pain management; regional anesthesia; transversus abdominis plane block.