TAP Block Timing Study

Launched by WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY · Jul 2, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at the best timing for giving a type of pain relief called a TAP block, which is an injection that numbs the nerves around the belly area. The study wants to find out if giving this pain relief before surgery starts helps patients feel less pain afterward and reduces the need for stronger pain medicines like opioids, compared to giving it after the surgery has begun. This is being studied in adults having planned (elective) weight-loss surgery or other types of planned belly surgeries.

Adults between 18 and 65 years old who are scheduled for these surgeries and can understand and agree to the study are eligible to join. People who are pregnant, under 18, prisoners, have trouble understanding or agreeing to the study, or are allergic to the numbing medicine won’t be able to participate. If you join, you can expect to receive the TAP block either before or after the surgery starts, and the study team will then check how well it controls your pain and if it helps you use fewer opioids and other pain medicines after surgery. This study has not started recruiting participants yet.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged between 18 and 65 years
• • Scheduled for elective bariatric surgery or other elective general abdominal surgeries
• • Proficient in English sufficient to understand study procedures and communicate effectively
• • Capable of providing informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Individuals under 18 years of age (minors)
• • Pregnant individuals
• • Prisoners
• • Individuals with cognitive impairments or otherwise unable to provide informed consent independently
• • Individuals with known allergies or contraindications to local anesthetics used in TAP blocks