Efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block in patients receiving percutaneous nephrolithotomy under general anaesthesia

Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the overall efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block combined with general anaesthesia in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Methods The study included 76 patients who underwent PCNL at our hospital between October 2018 and October 2019. The patients were randomly divided into the study group (ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block combined with general anaesthesia, 38 cases) and the control group (general anaesthesia, 38 cases). The intra-operative estimated blood loss, operative time and intra-operative anaesthetic usage were recorded. Moreover, the effective pressing times of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and the dosage of sufentanil in patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) were observed within 48 hours after operation. Results The dosage of propofol and remifentanil, the time of intestinal exhaust recovery time and the hospital study in the study group were lower than those in the control group. The HR and MAP of the two groups, with a trend towards gradual decrease at T0 and T1, were lower than those at T0. At 2, 6, 8 and 24 hours after operation, the visual analogue scale/score (VAS) of the study group was lower than that of the control group. The analgesic rescue rate, the dosage of sufentanil and the effective PCA compression times in the study group were lower than those in the control group. The total incidence of adverse reactions in postanaesthesia care unit in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group (8/38 vs 18/38). Conclusion The combination of ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block and general anaesthesia effectively exerts beneficial outcomes in terms of validly reducing the dose of tranquilisers and anaesthetic analgesics during PCNL, which is able to treat patients with anaesthetic mode of low opioids.