Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of transversus abdominis plane block (TAP) on physical stress and postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients undergoing colon cancer surgery. Methods Fifty elderly patients who were to undergo colon cancer surgery under general anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups: abdominal transverse muscle block combined general anesthesia group (group A, n = 25) and general anesthesia group (group G, n = 25). The patients in the group A received bilateral inferior lateral TAP 10 min after entering the operation room. Vital signs, and blood glucose (Glu) and c-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were recorded 10 min after entering the room, 5 min after anesthesia induction, 5 min after skin cutting, 2 h after skin cutting, and immediately after surgery. The serum content of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was measured 1 d before surgery, 10 min after entering the room, immediately after surgery, 1 and 2 d after surgery. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Scale (MMSE) were used to assess the cognitive function, and the occurrence of cognitive impairment in the two groups was recorded during the perioperative period. Results There were significant differences in MAP, Glu, NSE, MoCA and MMSE scores between the two groups (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions, the number of times of compression of postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia pump, and the incidence of postoperative cognitive impairment on the 1st d after operation were also significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions The application of TAP in elderly colon cancer surgery can effectively reduce the incidences of adverse physical stress and cognitive impairment during perioperative period.