Rectus sheath block with liposomal bupivacaine versus thoracic epidural analgesia for pain control following pancreatoduodenectomy: a prospective, randomized, non-inferiority trial

In this study, we are comparing two different numbing techniques performed by anesthesiologists. Patients in the study are randomly selected to receive one or the other type of numbing injection. One group of patients will receive an epidural, which is a numbing injection done in the back, similar to that which women receive when they give birth. The other group of patients will receive a rectus sheath block, which is a numbing injection done on the abdomen. Both of these types of numbing injections are performed regularly by our anesthesiologists at the University.