Taqi 2007.

Methods	RCT Approved by the ethics board and written consent obtained from all patients Setting: Canada Funding: charity
Participants	50 patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery for benign and malignant colorectal lesions
Interventions	Treatment group: TEA (T8‐T9) with bupivacaine 0.5% and 0.25% during surgery and bupivacaine 0.1% plus fentanyl 3 mcg/mL for 72 hours after surgery (n = 25) Control group: IV PCA with morphine (n = 25) General anaesthesia for all participants. Both groups also received 500 mg naproxen twice a day orally or rectally for 4 days, and acetaminophen 1 gram 4 times a day for 4 days
Outcomes	Time to first flatus Time to first faeces Vomiting VAS at rest and on movement (walking) at 24 and 48 hours
Notes	Study authors contacted for additional information on 12 July 2014, but did not reply
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	"randomized", no details
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not mentioned
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	"patients were not blinded"
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	Not blinded
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	"All the patients enrolled in the research project completed the study" "There were no epidural failures (dislodgement, leak, disconnection) during the postoperative period"
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All results reported
Other bias	Low risk	Demographic characteristics and clinical data related to preoperative health status, diagnosis and type of surgery, and preoperative nutritional status, were similar in the 2 groups