Background: Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with 
actual or potential tissue damage. Postoperative pain is the major obstacle for early postoperative 
ambulation and increases the risk of venous thromboembolism and respiratory complications and 
prolongs the hospital stay. So, aggressive perioperative pain prevention can yield both short-term and 
long-term benefits which can pose a challenge to anesthesia providers. Patients and Methods: 60 
adult patients of both sex at El-Minia University Hospital, aged 18-70 years of American Society of 
Anesthesiologists (AS A) physical status I to III scheduled for laparotomies under general anesthesia. 
The TAP block was performed by using the ultrasound guided technique. The patients were randomly 
assigned to receive either 18 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine + 2 ml normal saline bilaterally (group C) or 1 
v mi of 0.25% bupivacaine + 8 mg (2 ml) dexamethasone bilaterally (group D). Results: significant 
decrease in mean heart rate inside the group was recorded in comparison to the basal values at all-time 
intervals of recordings with no significant difference regarding oxygen saturation. Conclusion: TAP 
block is a safe and effective analgesic technique in laparotomies. Keywords: Laparotomies, TAP 
block