The effectiveness of erector spinae plane block in patients with chronic low back pain

OBJECTIVE: The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has been widely used as a treatment strategy for a variety of acute and chronic painful conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the analgesic efficacy of ESPB in patients with chronic low back pain and radicular symptoms who had lumbar disc herniation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients aged 18 to 80 years who had chronic low back pain with radicular symptoms associated with pain from lumbar disc herniation and had undergone ESPB were included in the study retrospectively. As part of a routine clinical procedure, the patient’s age, gender, weight, height, body mass index, injection site, level of the injection, disc herniation level and visual analog scale score, Oswestry Disability Index, and five-point patient satisfaction questionnaire were recorded before and following the procedure. RESULTS: A total of 96 patients were included in this study. The mean age was 52.28±14.12 and 55 (57.3%) of the patients were female. The mean visual analog scale value and Oswestry Disability Index score were significantly decreased consecutively after the procedure (p<0.05). The mean patient satisfaction questionnaire score increased gradually compared to the baseline scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that ESPB is an effective strategy to reduce the intensity of chronic low back pain with radicular symptoms in patients with lumbar disc herniation

Bispektral i?ndeks monitorizasyonunun end-tidal desfluran konsantrasyonu ve desfluran tüketimi üzerine etkisi

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess whether the concentration of end-tidal desflurane decreases or not with the use of bispectral index (BIS) monitoring to standard anesthetic practice. Materials and Methods: In all patients anesthesia was induced with thiopental sodium 5 mg kg-1 and fentanyl 1 ?g kg-1. The trachea was intubated using vecuronium 0.1mg kg-1. Anesthesia was maintained with desflurane, in a mixture of nitrous oxide 1 L min-1 and oxygen 1 L min-1. Desflurane with 4-6 % concentration was administered to patients for 5 min after tracheal intubation. Additional fentanyl 1 ?g kg-1 was given before skin insicion and no more was given. The desflurane concentration was then changed as follows: In Group I; if the patients displayed clinical signs consistent with inadequate anesthesia, the inspired desflurane concentration was increased or decreased by 1 %. In Group II, the anesthesiologist adjusted the concentration of desflurane to achieve a target BIS in the range of 50±5. Results: The mean BIS value was 35.98±2.3 and 45.68±5.3 in Group I and II, respectively. BIS levels in Group I were significantly lower during surgery (p=0.001). The end tidal desflurane concentrations in Group I were significantly higher than Group II (Group I: 4.61±0.48, Group II: 3.92±0.61) (p=0.007). The desflurane consumption was total 917.84±14.08 mL and 838.02±11.73 mL in Group I and II, respectively. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the use of BIS, as it decreases the end-tidal concentration of desflurane and desflurane consumption, has become a technique which determines the depth of anesthesia safely

The preoperative analgesic effect of 3-in-1 block on postoperative pain and tramadol consumption in total hip arthroplasty

PubMed: 18338275We studied the effect of preoperative 3-in-1 block for total hip replacement surgery on postoperative pain and tramadol consumption during patient-controlled analgesia. Thirty ASA I-II patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups; Group I: Patients who received 3-in-1 block with 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine 30-minutes before surgery and later received general anesthesia, Group II: Patients who received only a simple needle puncture at the operation site 30-minutes before surgery and later received general anesthesia. All patients received intravenous tramadol at the end of surgery via a PCA device. Pain was evaluated at 0,1/2,1,4,8,12,24 and 48h at rest and on movement of the hip, using a 10cm VAS. The average intraoperative fentanyl consumption was lower in Group I than in Group II. VAS scores were significantly lower in group I, both at rest and during movement at all timepoints over in the first postoperative 12h and also during movement 24h postoperatively. However differences in VAS scores weren't clinically significant after 4 hours. In the recovery room, Group I VAS scores were only a third of Group II, both at rest and movement (p=0.0001). Total tramadol consumption was lower in GroupI (633.0±119.3 mg) than in GroupII (991.1±41.0 mg). Patient satisfaction scores were higher in GroupI than in GroupII. We concluded that preoperative 3-in-1 block with 40 ml-0,25% bupivacaine provides effective postoperative pain relief for elective THA, reducing intra-and postoperative analgesic consumption without increase in side effects