[Perioperative analgesic efficacy of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block in patients undergoing thyroidectomy: a randomized controlled trial]. / Eficácia analgésica perioperatória do bloqueio bilateral do plexo cervical superficial em pacientes submetidos à tireoidectomia: estudo clínico randomizado.

INTRODUCTION: Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block (BSCPB) is a common method used for analgesia in thyroid surgery. We investigated the analgesic efficacy of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block in the intraoperative and postoperative periods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients (n = 46) undergoing thyroidectomy were randomly separated into the following 2 groups: the general anesthesia group (GA; n = 23) and the general anesthesia plus BSCPB group (GS; n = 23). The intraoperative analgesic requirement (remifentanil) visual analog scale (VAS) score at multiple time points during the postoperative period (after extubation, at 15 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours post operation) were evaluated. Total tramadol and paracetamol consumption as well as the amount of ondansetron used was recorded. RESULTS: The intraoperative remifentanil requirement was significantly lower in the GS Group than in the GA Group (p = 0.009). The postoperative pain scores were significantly lower in the GS Group than in the GA Group at 15 (p < 0.01) and 30 (p < 0.01) minutes and 1 (p < 0.01), 2 (p < 0.01), 6 (p < 0.01), 12 (p < 0.01) and 24 (p = 0.03) hours. The postoperative tramadol requirement was significantly lower in the GS Group than in the GA Group (p = 0.01). The number of patients that used ondansetron was significantly lower in the GS Group than in the GA Group (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: We concluded that BSCPB with 0.25% bupivacaine reduces the postoperative pain intensity and opioid dependency in thyroid surgery patients.

Do Urgent Caesarean Sections Have a Circadian Rhythm?

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of the present study was to demonstrate the existence of a possible circadian variation in urgent operative deliveries. METHODS: All urgent caesarean sections between 1 January 2014 and 1 January 2015 with known exact onset times of operation were included in this retrospective study. Cases that were previously scheduled for elective caesarean section were excluded. Information regarding age, delivery date, onset time of operation and type of anaesthesia was collected from the database. Analyses were completed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) version 20.0 software. The statistical significance for all analyses was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 285 urgent caesarean section deliveries were included in the study. There were 126 (44.2%) deliveries during the day shift and 159 (55.8%) during the night shift. 80 patients (28.1%) received general anaesthesia and 65 (22.8%) received spinal anaesthesia in the morning shift, whereas 54 patients (18.9%) received general anaesthesia and 86 (30.2%) received spinal anaesthesia during the night shift. CONCLUSION: The present study suggested that urgent caesarean sections revealed a circadian rhythm during the day.