Comparison of intraoperative hemodynamic stability between quadratus lumborum and epidural block in patients who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy

Laparoscopic nephrectomy has become the standard procedure for living donor renal transplant in Indonesia. The anesthesia technique used for this procedure is general anesthesia combined with regional anesthesia. Among many techniques available, epidural block is often performed. This study aims to compare hemodynamic stability between Quadratus Lumborum (QL) block, as a new alternative block, and epidural block for laparoscopic nephrectomy. Patients were randomized to receive epidural block (n=13) or QL block (n=13) for intraoperative analgesia during laparoscopic nephrectomy. Patients in epidural group received continuous bupivacaine 0.25% infusion 6 ml/hours and patients in QL group received 20 ml of bupivacaine 0.25% bilaterally. Hemodynamic variables consisting of mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rates (HR), as well as fentanyl consumption between the two groups were compared. There were significant differences in intraoperative MAP between epidural block group and QL block group (p = 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in HR (p = 0.114) and fentanyl consumption (p = 0.593) between two groups. QL block produced a relatively steadier MAP compared to epidural block; however intraoperative HR and fentanyl consumption between two groups had no significant difference.