Our experience on brachial plexus blockade in upper extremity surgery

Objective: Peripheral nerve blocks are usually used either alone or along with general anesthesia for postoperative analgesia. We also aimed to present the results and experiences.Materials and methods: This retrospective study was conducted to scan the files of patients who underwent orthopedic upper extremity surgery with peripheral nerve block between September 2009 and October 2010. After ethics committee approval was obtained, 114 patients who were ASA physical status I-III, aged 18-70, performed upper extremity surgery in the Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic were included to study. Patients’ demographic data, clinical diagnoses, premedication status, peripheral block type, local anesthetic dose, stimuplex needle types, hemodynamic parameters at the during surgery, the first postoperative analgesic requirements, complications and patient satisfaction were recorded.Results: Demographic data were similar to each other. Brachial plexus block was commonly performed for the forearm surgery. Infraclavicular block was performed the most frequently to patients. As the classical methods in the supine position were preferred in 98.2% of patients, Stimuplex A needle (B. Braun, Melsungen AG, Germany) have been used for blockage in 80.7% of patients. Also, in 54.4% of patients, 30 ml of local anesthetic solution composed of bupivacaine + prilocaine was used for blockade. Blocks applied to patients had provided adequate anesthesia.Conclusion: Since the brachial plexus blockade guided peripheral nerve stimulator for upper extremity surgery provide adequate depth of anesthesia and analgesia, it may be a good alternative to general anesthesia because of unwanted side effect

A Case of Pneumothorax after Phrenic Nerve Block with Guidance of a Nerve Stimulator

Hiccups have more than 100 etiologies. The most common etiology has gastrointestinal origins, related mainly to gastric distention and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Intractable hiccups are rare but may present as a severe symptom of various diseases. Hiccups are mostly treated with non-invasive or pharmacological therapies. If these therapies fail, invasive methods should be used. Here, we present a patient on whom we performed a blockage of the phrenic nerve with the guidance of a nerve stimulator. The patient also had pneumothorax as a complication. Three hours after intervention, a tube thoracostomy was performed. One week later, the patient was cured and discharged from the hospital. In conclusion, a stimulator provides the benefit of localizing the phrenic nerve, which leads to diaphragmatic contractions. Patients with thin necks have more risk of pneumothorax during phrenic nerve location

The protective effect of dexmedetomidine on bupivacaine-induced sciatic nerve inflammation is mediated by mast cells

Purpose: This study was designed to assess the correlation between the neuroprotective effect of dexmedetomidine and oxidative stress, neural inflammation and mast cell stability in rats with bupivacaine-induced sciatic nerve toxicity. Methods: Forty adult Wistar Albino rats, eight rats per group, were used. Saline (0.3 ml of 0.9%), dexmedetomidine (20 µg/kg), 0.5% bupivacaine or 0.5% bupivacaine+dexmedetomidine (20 µg/kg) was injected into the sciatic nerve. A control group of rats received no injection. Fourteen days after injection, the sciatic nerves were harvested and total oxidant status, total anti-oxidant status, paraoxonase-1, galectin-3 and matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9 levels were measured in the sciatic nerves. In addition, the presence and status of inflammation, edema, and mast cells were evaluated histopathologically. Results: The combination of dexmedetomidine and bupivacaine alleviated oxidative stress. In addition, it decreased matrix metalloproteinase 9 and galectin-3 levels and increased matrix metalloproteinase 2 levels. Moreover, it stabilized recruited mast cells at the injury site; however, it did not significantly decrease inflammation or edema. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine may ameliorate bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity by modulating mast cell degranulation. The neuroprotective effect of dexmedetomidine may make it a suitable adjuvant agent to local anesthetics in peripheral nerve blocks

Evaluation of hospital infections developing in intensive care unit during a decade and review of literature

Objectives: Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are majorhealth problem in intensive care units. We aimed to determinethe nosocomial infection rate, distribution of HAI andthe distribution of microorganisms isolated from nosocomialinfections and their antibiotic resistance profiles in hospitalizedpatients in intensive care unit.Materials and methods: A total 222 patients with a diagnosisof hospital-acquired infection hospitalized between January2003 and June 2012 at Dicle University Medical FacultyHospital intensive care unit, were included in this study. Clinical,radiographic, laboratory data and culture results recordedto the standard forms and in the computer environment ona daily basis. Hospital acquired infections rates by year, distributionof HAI according to the systems, infectious agentswere determined.Results: A total of 327 episodes of HAI were developed222 (18.4%) of 1208 hospitalized patients in ten years periodper 21 974 patients day. Hospital-acquired infectionrate was 27.6 per 100 patient days and density was 15.2per 1000 patient days. The most common HAI were bloodstreaminfection (38.5%) and followed by pneumonia (24%)and ventilator-associated pneumonia (14.7%). Acinetobacterspp. (23.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.9%) werethe most frequently isolated bacteria. The most effective antibioticsagainst gram-negative microorganisms were colistin,amikacin, imipenem, meropenem, cefoperazone-sulbactam,while gram-positives to linezolid, vancomycin and daptomycin.Conclusion: Prolonged duration of hospitalization increasesthe risk of infection and invasive procedures. Prevention ofunnecessary invasive procedures, early removal of invasivecatheters, infection control measures and documenting ofantibiotic susceptibilities of causative organisms will reducethe incidence of HAI.Key words: Hospital acquired infection, intensive care unit,hospital acquired infection rat

Intra-articularly applied pulsed radiofrequency can reduce chronic knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most widespread chronic joint disease worldwide. Symptomatic knee OA is observed in approximately 12% of individuals more than 60 years of age. Conservative treatments models may not be effective always, and that some of them have serious adverse effects that prompted the researchers to research different treatment methods. In this study, we investigated short- and mid-term effectiveness of intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) applied in patients with chronic knee pain due to OA. Methods: This study was carried out in the pain management center of a university hospital between January 2009 and June 2009. The patient record files of 31 patients who received intra-articular PRF were retrospectively reviewed. The antero-lateral area of the knee, where the intervention would be applied, was anesthetized with 1% lidocaine. An introducer needle was placed intra-articularly. PRF was started as 42°C at 2 Hz for 15 minutes. The pain of the patients was evaluated by 10 cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Furthermore, the ages, the gender, the symptom duration of the patients, the side of the knee on which the intervention was applied, and the complications were collected for statistical evaluation. Results: Although the mean initial VAS scores of the patients were 6.1 ± 0.9 cm, it was found, respectively, to be 3.9 ± 1.9 cm and 4.1 ± 1.9 cm at the first- and sixth-month follow-ups. In general, a decrease of 32.8% in mean in the VAS scores was achieved in the last follow-up; whereas the rate of patients reporting a minimum decrease of 2 points in the VAS scores was 64.5% and the rate of patients reporting a decrease of ≥50% in their pain was calculated as 35.5%. Conclusion: PRF applied to the knee joint appears to be an effective and safe method

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Children under Anesthesia: The Relationship between the Degree of Information Provided to Parents and Parents’ Anxiety Scores

Background. We aimed to investigate the correlation between the anxiety scores of parents whose children are administered anesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the level of information provided to them before the MRI. The study included 146 children and their parents. The demographic information of the children and their parents was recorded. The parents were divided into two groups. In Group I, the patient’s medical history and physical exam findings were recorded on a standard consultation form by an anesthesiologist. In Group II, the parents were additionally provided with more detailed information on how the anesthesia would be administered and the drugs to be used and their side effects and complications. The anxiety scores of the parents were found to be lower in Group II. A higher level of education was associated with higher anxiety scores. Intergroup comparison detected lower anxiety scores for Group II parents whose education levels were up to high school. However, no change upon receiving detailed information was detected in the anxiety scores of parents with higher education levels. In conclusion, this may lower the anxiety scores in parents informed about details of anesthesia administration and may raise parents’ sense of confidence in the doctor

Protective Effect of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester in Rat Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Damage

OBJECTIVE: Because oxidative stress is related to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, modulation of oxygen free radical production may represent a new approach to the management of cerebral I/R. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) has been determined to have neuroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities. The aim of this study was to investigate whether CAPE has a protective effect on cerebral I/R damage, and to determine the possible effects of CAPE on total antioxidant/oxidant status. METHODS: A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into three groups as control group, I/R group, and I/R + CAPE. Total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) levels and histopathological cellular structures were evaluated in cerebral tissues obtained after the experiment procedure in all groups. RESULTS: In the brain tissue, TOS and OSI levels were found to be significantly increased in the I/R group compared to the controls (p= 0.023, p= 0.001, respectively). Significantly decreased TAS levels were found in the I/R group compared to the controls (p= 0.001). CAPE treatment prevented the increase in TOS and OSI that is produced by cerebral I/R (p= 0.041, p= 0.001, respectively). TAS was found to be increased in the CAPE + I/R group compared with the I/R group (p= 0.002). In the I/R group, the brain sections showed findings of cerebral I/R damage including inflammation, vascular congestion and necrosis (for both variables, p= 0.001). These histopathological cerebral damage findings were found to be significantly reduced in the CAPE + I/R group compared to the I/R group (for both parameters, p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, it was found that oxidative stress had an important role in the pathogenesis of cerebral I/R damage, and histopathological and biochemical evaluations showed significantly decreased I/R damage following CAPE treatment in rats

Radiation-free percutaneous nephrostomy performed on neonates, infants, and preschool-age children

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of high-frequency linear probe ultrasonographic (US) guidance percutaneous nephrostomy (PN) in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic approach in preschool-age children with urological problems

A Study on the Effects of the Use of Propofol in Experimental Model Inferior Epigastric Island Flap on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Problems concerning vascular blood flow are the most frequently encountered ones after flap applications. The flap tissue starts to develop ischemia in patients with a vascular blood flow insufficiency. And reperfusion starts in those patients in whom the ischemia is temporary, triggering an ischemia-reperfusion injury depending on the duration of the ischemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of propofol, which is an anesthetic agent known to have an antioxidant effect and a free radical scavenging feature on the ischemia-reperfusion injury created on an experimental epigastric island flap