Modified thoracoabdominal nerves block through perichondrial approach for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: A new block, namely, modified thoracoabdominal nerves block through perichondrial approach, is administered below the costal cartilage. We sought to compare the analgesic efficacy of the modified thoracoabdominal nerves block through perichondrial approach block with local anesthetic infiltration at the port sites in an adult population who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: Patients who will undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized to receive bilateral ultrasound-guided modified thoracoabdominal nerves block through perichondrial approach blocks or local anesthetic infiltration at the port insertion sites. The primary outcome was the total amount of tramadol used in the first 12 h postoperatively. The secondary outcomes were total IV tramadol consumption for the first postoperative 24 h and visual analog scale scores. RESULTS: The modified thoracoabdominal nerves block through perichondrial approach group had significantly less tramadol use in the first 12 h postoperatively (p<0.001). The modified thoracoabdominal nerves block through perichondrial approach group's visual analog scale scores at rest (static) and with movement (dynamic) were significantly lower compared with the port infiltration group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients who received modified thoracoabdominal nerves block through perichondrial approach block had significantly less analgesic consumption and better pain scores than those who received port-site injections after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Comparison of pericapsular nerve group block and femoral nerve block in spinal anesthesia position analgesia for proximal femoral fractures in geriatric patients: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the analgesic efficacy of the femoral nerve block (FNB) with that of the pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block in the lateral decubitus position for spinal anesthesia in geriatric hip fracture surgery. METHODS: Patients aged ≥65 years scheduled to undergo hip fracture surgery for proximal femur fractures with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of class I-IV and body mass index of 18-40 kg/m2 were included in the study. The PENG block or FNB was performed 20 min before positioning for spinal anesthesia. Lateral position, hip flexion, and lumbar spine flexion pain were evaluated during spinal anesthesia. RESULTS: Sixty patients completed the study. The median pain scores for lateral positioning were 2 (0-4) and 2.5 in the PENG and FNB groups, respectively (P=0.001). The median pain scores during hip flexion were 1 (0-4) and 2.5 in the PENG and FNB groups, respectively (P<0.001). The median pain score during lumbar flexion was 1 (0-4) and 2.0 in the PENG and FNB groups, respectively (P=0.001). The two groups did not show a significant difference in the quality of the spinal anesthesia position (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Pre-operative PENG block is more effective in reducing the pain associated with spinal anesthesia position than FNB in geriatric hip fractures. Both blocks had a similar effect on posture quality and the number of spinal interventions.

Validation of the Turkish version of the Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score 11 (ObsQoR-11T) after cesarean delivery.

BACKGROUND: To translate and validate the psychometric characteristics of a Turkish version of the Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score 11 tool used to measure post-cesarean delivery recovery in Turkish-speaking patients. METHODS: After the original English version of the Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score 11 tool was translated into Turkish; it was psychometrically validated to assess the post-cesarean delivery quality of recovery. Validity, reliability, and feasibility were investigated. The Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score 11 tool was administered to Turkish-speaking patients on postoperative day 1. On postoperative day 1, a global health visual analog scale was used to assess the patient's perceived global recovery. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-six patients completed their questionnaires, providing a completion rate of 97.38%. The Spearman rho (ρ) correlation coefficient between the Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score and global health visual analog scale (0-100 points) was 0.850 at postoperative day 1 following surgery (P < 0.001). Internal consistency, measured using Cronbach's alpha, was 0.822. The split-half coefficient was 0.708. The Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score differed significantly between the emergency and elective cesarean delivery groups (80 (41-104) vs. 83.3 (51-102); P < 0.05). The test-retest reliability of the Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score items was more than 0.6 in 82% of cases, indicating good repeatability and reliability. CONCLUSION: The Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery score 11 is a valid and reliable tool to measure the post-cesarean quality of recovery in Turkish-speaking patients. The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the scale to measure the post-cesarean quality of recovery were similar to those of the seminal English version.

Linguistic validation of a widely used recovery score: quality of recovery-15 (QoR-15).

BACKGROUND: The quality of recovery-15 (QoR-15) is a patient reported outcome questionnaire that measures the quality of recovery after surgery and anesthesia. The QoR-15 has been validated in many languages; Turkish version of the QoR-15 has not yet been established. The aims of this study were to translate the QoR-15 questionnaire into Turkish and to perform a full psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version. METHODS: After translating the original English version of the QoR-15 scale into Turkish, the QoR-15T scale was psychometrically validated. This process included validity, reliability, responsiveness, feasibility. The QoR-15T was evaluated before the surgery and 24 h after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 210 patients completed the pre- and postoperative questionnaires, providing a completion rate of 93.75%. The correlation coefficient between QoR-15T score and VAS score was 0.644 on postoperative day 1 (p < 0.001). Inter item Cronbach's alpha was 0.863. Global test-retest concordance coefficient was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.94-1.00). DISCUSSION: The QoR-15T scale is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating postoperative quality of recovery in Turkish speaking patients. The psychometric characteristics used to assess postoperative quality of recovery were similar to those in the English version.

The boundaries between survival and nonsurvival at COVID-19: Experience of tertiary care pandemic hospital.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging, fast-spreading, highly mortal and worldwide infectious disease. The pulmonary system was defined as the main target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but the mortality concept of this disease presented with more severe and systemic disease. The present study investigated the relationship between the patient characteristics at the initial hospital administration and fatality in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: In this retrospective and comparative cohort study, all the 767 hospitalised COVID-19 patients, treated between 18 March and 15 May 2020 in the Covid Clinics of Gulhane Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, were evaluated. RESULTS: The fatality rate was significantly increased in patients with any comorbid disease except asthma. The initial laboratory test results indicated highly significant differences according to the patient's outcome. A multifactor logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for predicting patient outcomes. Being older than 60 years increased the death risk with an adjusted OR of 7.2 (95% CI: 2.23-23.51; P = .001). The presence of a cancer and the extended duration of intensive care unit treatment were other significant risk factors for nonsurvival. Azithromycin treatment was determined as significantly reduced the death ratio in these patients (P = .002). CONCLUSION: It was revealed that being older than 60 years, presence of a cancer and extended duration of ICU treatment were the major risk factors for predicting fatality rate in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

Comparison of Ultrasonography and Conventional Fluoroscopy Guided Caudal Epidural Injection in Chronic Low Back Pain.

AIM: To compare the efficacies of fluoroscopy- and ultrasound (US)-guided caudal epidural steroid injections (CESIs) in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included patients with chronic LBP who underwent US- (Group U; n = 90) or fluoroscopyguided (Group F; n = 90) CESI. The procedure time, successful injection rate on the first attempt, complication rate, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score, and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score before CESI and after 3 weeks and 3 months of CESI were analyzed. RESULTS: NRS and ODI scores improved at 3 weeks (p < 0.001) and 3 months (p < 0.001) after CESIs. No significant differences were noted between the two groups for the NRS (p=0.22 and p=0.47) and ODI (p=0.58, p=0.22) scores. Moreover, the CESI procedure time was significantly shorter (p < 0.001) and the successful injection rate on the first attempt was significantly higher (p=0.002) in Group U than in Group F. The complication rate difference was statistically insignificant between the two groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Outcomes of US-guided CESI were superior than those of fluoroscopy-guided CESI considering the successful injection rate on the first attempt and procedure time. In addition, US-guided CESI was as effective as fluoroscopy-guided CESI and did not expose patients and practitioners to radiation.

Guideline implementation and raising awareness for unintended perioperative hypothermia: Single-group 'before and after' study.

BACKGROUND: Unintended Perioperative Hypothermia (UPH) is defined as a core body temperature less than 36°C. The Turkish Society of Anesthesiology and Reanimation [Türk Anesteziyoloji ve Reanimasyon Dernegi (TARD)] published a 'Guideline for the Prevention of the Unintended Perioperative Hypothermia' in 2013. This study aims to decrease the incidence of unintended UPH in our hospital using a protocol, which is prepared according to the recommendations in the Guideline for the prevention of unintended perioperative hypothermia. METHODS: A prospective quality improvement study was conducted with the protocol, which was prepared to decrease the incidence of unintended perioperative hypothermia in patients undergoing surgery. We measured and compared the perioperative hypothermia incidence before the implementation (November 24th, 2015 - January 15th, 2016) and after the implementation (April 6th, 2016 - July 21st, 2017). RESULTS: The incidence of unintended perioperative hypothermia was 35% and 23.8% in the pre-implementation and postimplementation sections, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: The incidence of unintended perioperative hypothermia can be significantly decreased with the evidence-based implementations.

Fast-track anesthesia in patients undergoing outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy: comparison of sevoflurane with total intravenous anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The use of short-acting anesthetics has introduced a "fast-track anesthesia" concept in outpatient surgery which provides discharge of the patients from operation room directly to the phase II recovery area without entering into postanesthesia care unit. The aim of this prospective and randomized study was to compare general anesthesia using sevoflurane with propofol-remifentanil-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) for fast-track eligibility in patients undergoing outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The secondary aim was to compare 2 discharge scoring systems: White's Fast-Tracking Scoring System (WFTSS) and Modified Aldrete Scoring Systems (MASS) with regard to postanesthesia care unit bypass rate and postoperative problems. METHODS: After obtaining ethical approval and written informed patient consent, 80 patients were randomly assigned into 2 groups: group sevoflurane (n=40) and group TIVA (n=40). Anesthesia was induced with propofol, fentanyl, and rocuronium in both groups and maintained with sevoflurane in group sevoflurane and with remifentanil-propofol in group TIVA. Fast-track eligibility was evaluated using both WFTSS and MASS while patients were discharged from operation room according to WFTSS. Recovery times, number of fast-track eligible patients, factors related to fast-track ineligibility, and perioperative complications were evaluated. RESULTS: The ratio of fast-track eligible patients was higher and times to fast-track eligibility were shorter in group TIVA compared with group sevoflurane (82.1% vs 57.5% and 8 minutes vs 12 minutes; P<.05). The primary factors that have inhibited fast-tracking were desaturation, hemodynamic instability, pain, and postoperative nausea and vomiting, respectively. Postoperative nausea and vomiting presented a major difference in the rate of fast-track ineligibility between groups (4 patients in group sevoflurane, whereas none in group TIVA; P<.05). The fast-track ratio was lower with the WFTSS compared with MASS in group sevoflurane (57.5% vs 77.5%, P<.05), but similar in group TIVA.

Ultrasound-guided pulsed radio frequency treatment in Morton's neuroma.

BACKGROUND: Morton's neuroma is a perineural fibrosis of an intermetatarsal plantar nerve. Burning, numbness, paresthesia, and tingling down the interspaces of involved toes may also be experienced. Taking into account all of this information, we designed a prospective open-label study to evaluate the efficacy of pulsed radio frequency on Morton's neuroma. METHODS: Twenty patients with Morton's neuroma were experiencing symptomatic neuroma pain in the foot not relieved by routine conservative treatment. All of the patients had been evaluated by a specialized orthopedist and were offered pulsed radio frequency as a last option before having surgery. Initially, pain level (numerical rating scale), successful pain control (a ≥50% pain decrease was accepted as successful pain control), comfort when walking (yes or no), and satisfaction level (satisfied or not satisfied) were evaluated. RESULTS: We found a decrease in the pain level in 18 of 20 patients, successful pain control in 12, and wearing shoes and walking without pain in 16. Overall, satisfaction was rated as excellent or good by 12 patients with Morton's neuroma in this series. CONCLUSIONS: This evidence indicates that ultrasound-guided pulsed radio frequency is a promising treatment modality in the management of Morton's neuroma pain.

Temporal trends of ventilator-associated pneumonia incidence and the effect of implementing health-care bundles in a suburban community.

BACKGROUND: Recent changes in critical care delivery, including the widespread implementation of health-care bundles, were aimed at reducing complications of critical illness, in particular ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), but no population-based study evaluated its effectiveness. METHODS: Using a previously validated electronic medical record database, we identified adult (≥ 18 years old) critically ill patients from Olmsted County, Minnesota, requiring mechanical ventilation for ≥ 48 h from January 2003 to December 2009. Trained intensivists identified cases of VAP according to different established clinical definitions. The incidence and outcome of VAP was compared before and after implementation of the so-called "VAP bundle." RESULTS: The median age, severity of illness, proportion of surgical patients, and patients with neurologic disease increased over time (P < .05 for trend in all). Regardless of the definition used, the VAP rate remained similar throughout the study period and did not change with the introduction of the VAP bundle. According to previous Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, the yearly estimates of the VAP incidence ranged between 7.1 and 10.4 cases per 1,000 ventilator-days, with an age-adjusted incidence of 3.1 vs 5.6 per 100,000 population (P = .54 for trends). Standardized hospital mortality ratio of patients at high risk to develop VAP significantly decreased from 1.7 (95% CI, 0.8-3.0) to 0.7 (95% CI, 0.3-1.4; P = .0003 for trend). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of VAP was unaffected by the implementation of the VAP bundle. Secular changes in hospital mortality are unlikely to be attributed to the VAP bundle per se.

Comparison of early postoperative pain among surgical techniques for obstructive sleep apnea.

One of the criticized aspects of surgeries for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is postoperative pain. We performed a study to compare the severity of pain occurring after different surgical techniques and to determine analgesic requirements in the first postoperative 24 h. Forty-eight patients with primary snoring or OSA who underwent anterior palatoplasty (AP), lateral pharyngoplasty (LP) or tongue base suspension suture (TBS) were included in this study. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for measuring pain intensity. Tramadol with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device and when necessary rescue pethidine was used for pain relief. VAS pain scores, total PCA-tramadol consumptions and requirement of rescue analgesic in AP, LP and TBS groups were compared. Pain scores in TBS group were higher than AP group in all of the study time points except at 12th hour and LP group until the 10th hour. When compared with AP group, VAS was significantly higher in LP group at the 1st hour. Mean total tramadol consumptions were significantly different between the groups (AP-LP, p = 0.039; AP-TBS, p < 0.001; LP-TBS, p < 0.001). It was highest in the TBS group and lowest in the AP group. In the LP group, three patients (16.7 %) needed rescue analgesia in comparison with 11 (73.3 %) in the TBS group. None of the patients in the AP group needed rescue analgesic. AP is the least painful and TBS is the most painful procedure. PCA-bolus tramadol effectively treats pain caused by AP and LP; however, alleviation of pain caused by TBS usually needs rescue opioid analgesic.