Turkish Journal of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a muscular dystrophy that can affect individuals of all age groups. Its prevalence is reported to be 0.4-1 in 10,000 people. Because of the low occurrence of FSHD, anaesthetic management is primarily based on expert opinions, case reviews, or brief series. Here, we present the case of a 72-year-old woman with FSHD who underwent hip fracture (HF) surgery. To prevent respiratory compromise due to FSHD, we opted for lumbar-sacral plexus block. To the best of our knowledge, there is no information in the literature regarding the use of combined lumbar-sacral plexus block in patients with FSHD undergoing HF surgery...

The serratus posterior superior intercostal plane (SPSIP) block is a novel technique recently described for thoracic analgesia. This study presents two cases using this technique for postoperative pain after mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection. The SPSIP block was administered to the patients in the preoperative period as part of multimodal analgesia, and postoperative pain was monitored using the numeric rating scale (NRS). In both patients, the NRS pain scores were below 3/10. SPSIP provided adequate postoperative analgesia in these cases without the need for any opioid agents...

Tracheal bronchi (TB) is a rare anomaly and is usually asymptomatic. Although it is generally not a problem when a single lumen tube is used, it may cause ventilation difficulties in the intraoperative period in procedures requiring one lung ventilation, such as minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Therefore, these difficulties may cause intraoperative and postoperative complications. While a double-lumen tube is recommended as the primary choice for one-lung ventilation in patients with TB, bronchial blockers can be used to avoid the need for tube exchange in patients who will remain intubated in the postoperative period...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machines used in coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries on cerebral perfusion by performing cerebral oximetry monitoring [near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)], S100-β protein measurements, and neurocognitive function assessment tests using both pulsatile and non-pulsatile modes. METHODS: A total of 44 patients, 22 non-pulsatile (Group NP) and 22 pulsatile (Group P), were included in the study...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the causes and prevalence of elective surgery cancellations in the operating room, and the clinical outcomes of affected patients. METHODS: This prospective, cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence and causes of elective surgery cancellations once patients are in the operating room. A tertiary academic referral center hosted the study between January 2022 and January 2023. The study sample consisted of 7,482 adult patients scheduled for elective surgeries and taken to the operating room...

OBJECTIVE: For patient safety, maintaining hemodynamic stability during surgical procedures is critical. Dynamic indices [such as systolic pressure variation (SPV) and pulse pressure variation (PPV)], have recently seen an increase in use. Given the risks associated with such invasive techniques, there is growing interest in non-invasive monitoring methods-and plethysmographic waveform analysis. However, many such non-invasive methods involve intricate calculations or brand-specific monitors...

The Turkish Journal of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, established in 1972, is 50 years old now. The number of citations of the journal and the interest of national and international researchers are high. This success has been achieved by the editorial boards who have contributed to the journal since its establishment and the writers who have contributed to its development, and this success will continue to increase.

Awake breast surgeries under nerve blocks have been a challenge for anaesthesiologists, and different block combinations have been used for surgery under sedation. Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) was thought to be sufficient alone for surgical anaesthesia of the breast. We performed a combination of TPVB, pectoralis nerve I block, and serratus anterior plane block for awake breast surgery in an elderly patient with serious comorbidities. Surgical anaesthesia was achieved, excluding skin incision. Any regional anaesthesia technique alone is not sufficient; rather, multiple thoracic wall blocks are needed for surgical anaesthesia of the breast...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare parasagittal interlaminar (PS) and transforaminal (TF) epidural steroid injections for unilateral L5 and S1 radicular lower back pain in terms of patient comfort, efficacy, safety, contrast enhancement, and radiation exposure. METHODS: This was a prospective randomized single-blind study. A total of 59 participants were included in this study. The visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were obtained. A comfort questionnaire was administered to all participants...

OBJECTIVE: Erector spina plane block (ESPB) was first described in 2016 and is effective in various surgical procedures. Bibliometric analysis is a novel method that evaluates the contribution of scientific studies conducted in a specific field on the existing literature. This study examined articles on ESPB published by anaesthesia clinics in Türkiye in journals under the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) category. METHODS: Studies on ESPB indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection and published in Türkiye from 2018 to 2022 were evaluated...

OBJECTIVE: Perioperative multimodal analgesia is an important step in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) care. Many factors, such as preoperative chronic pain and anxiety, may provide information about the expected postoperative pain. In this study, we evaluated preoperative pain and anxiety and investigate their effects on acute postoperative pain in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. METHODS: After ethics committee approval, 67 consenting patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery under the ERAS program were included in our prospective observational study...

OBJECTIVE: Cardiologists are the most frequently consulted specialists during pre-operative evaluations. However, unnecessary cardiology consultations (CC) can increase cardiologists' workload without impacting anaesthesia practice, resulting in delayed surgeries and additional financial burdens. We hypothesize that using Gupta during the preoperative period can reduce these adverse effects. METHODS: This prospective study included patients scheduled for elective noncardiac, nonvascular surgeries who underwent pre-operative assessment...

OBJECTIVE: Numerous studies performed worldwide indicate that the public has limited knowledge of anaesthesia practices and anaesthetists' duties and responsibilities. This study aimed to identify the level of knowledge about anaesthetists and anaesthesia practices, and to assess the reasons for anxiety about anaesthesia of the population admitted to our hospital, which is tertiary in Turkey. The secondary aim was to analyze their differences according to sex, education level, and acquired anaesthesia experience...

OBJECTIVE: During neuraxial anaesthesia, correct patient positioning is key for increased block success and (patient) comfort. The aim of this prospective study was to compare the lateral fetal decubitus (LFD) position with the sitting fetal lotus (SFL) regarding interspinous distance, transverse diameters of paravertebral muscles measured with ultrasonography, and patient comfort. METHODS: Fifty adult participants who could sit cross-legged and had no lumbar anomalies were included in our prospective study...

Gastric content aspiration occurs once every 2000-3000 general anaesthetics. It is associated with a 20% incidence of in-hospital mortality. The incidence of pulmonary aspiration in patients undergoing surgery is at least three times more, up to 1 in 895 general anaesthetics. Pulmonary aspiration indeed is associated with half of our airway-related mortality linked with anaesthesia. The pulmonary aspiration causes significant morbidity including respiratory failure, acute lung injury, and multi-organ failure in adults...

As a scientific field, anaesthesiology and reanimation, with their significant place in the medical structure, have been practised since the beginning of surgical procedures. Today anaesthesiology and reanimation speciality cover more complex techniques and areas than alleviating patients' pain during surgery. In the first hundred years since the proclamation of the Turkish Republic, the path covered in our scientific field is to pave the way for the next hundred years.

Value-based healthcare prioritizes patient outcomes and quality relative to costs, shifting focus from service volume to delivered value. This review explores the significant role of regional anaesthesia (RA) and acute pain services (APS) within the evolving value-based healthcare (VBHC) framework. At the heart of VBHC is the goal to enhance patient outcomes while simultaneously optimizing operational efficiency and reducing costs. The review underscores the need for VBHC and illustrates how integrating RA/APS with Enhanced Recovery Protocols can lead to improved outcomes, aligning directly with the goals of the Triple Aim...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy of quadratus lumborum block (QLB) and ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block (IIIHB) in paediatric patients who have undergone unilateral inguinal hernia surgery. METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled study was designed in a single center and included 60 paediatric patients aged 2-7 years who had undergone inguinal hernia repair surgery and received an American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 1-2...

OBJECTIVE: Though airway ultrasonography (USG) is used to assess difficult laryngoscopy (DL), there is still ambiguity about approach followed and parameters assessed. There is need of a simple, stepwise sonographic assessment with clearly defined parameters for DL prediction. The primary objective of this study was to find diagnostic accuracy of sonographic parameters measured by a stepwise Airway-USG in DL prediction (DLP). METHODS: This prospective, observational cohort study was done in 217 elective surgical adult patients administered general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation using conventional laryngoscopy from 1st May 2019 to 31st July 2020, after ethical approval...

OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement and has become a popular treatment modality for inoperable or patients at high surgical risk with severe aortic stenosis. We aimed to evaluate our perioperative anaesthetic experiences with patients undergoing TAVI under sedation or general anaesthesia (GA). METHODS: One hundred and fifty-nine patients who underwent TAVI procedures were enrolled...