Background & Aim: • To compare the efficacy of Ropivacaine Versus Bupivacaine for post-operative analgesia during surgical TAP block during caesarean section. • To correlate the advantages and side effects of the drugs during the surgical TAP block. Methods and Materials: A randomized control study (double blind) including 100 women who required caesarean section and fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Institutional ethics committee approval was obtained for this prospective study Patients were randomized as Group A: received surgical TAP block with Bupivacaine. Group B: received TAP block with Ropivacaine. Surgical TAP block was administered to the patients via the trans-peritoneal route with dose of the drug adjusted with weight of patient and visual analogue score (VAS) was assessed by an observer blind to the group allocation. Time required for rescue analgesia was and the ‘Mann-Whitney U test’ was used for statistical analysis. Results: The duration of postoperative analgesia in hours was comparable in both groups [Group A: Bupivacaine 5.24 ± 1.53 hrs, Group B Ropivacaine 4.96 ± 1.58 hrs]. There were no reported complications during the surgical technique or any adverse effects to bupivacaine and ropivacaine administered for the TAP block. Conclusion: Surgical TAP block with Bupivacaine and Ropivacaine is equally effective with no significant difference in the duration of post-operative analgesia. Surgical TAP block is a safe, effective and easy technique to provide post-operative analgesia and should establish as a routine during caesarean section delivery.

Keywords: Transversus Abdominis Plane Block; Bupivacaine; Ropivacaine; Surgical TAP block.