Scientific Publication Performance of the Erector Spinae Plane Block in Türkiye: A Bibliometric Analysis.

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. The primary outcome was to determine the number of studies published in journals under the SCI-E category. The secondary aims were to determine the number of citations and the institutions where the studies were conducted. Results: A total of 159 publications were analyzed. The journal with the highest number of publications was "Journal of Clinical Anesthesia" (n = 70). The institution that has to date made the most contributions to the literature was Atatürk University (n = 31). The most cited article was "Ultrasound guided erector spinae plane block reduces postoperative opioid consumption following breast surgery: A randomized controlled study." published by Gürkan et al. (n = 175). Conclusion: This study reflects the contribution level of Türkiye-addressed anaesthesia clinics to journals under the SCI-E category. Our findings can serve as a benchmark for attracting the attention of national and international researchers.

An add-on therapy for neuropathic pain: Infiltration block with diclofenac sodium and lidocaine through the hypertrophic scar tissue.

In some situations, the cause of the supposed neuropathic pain might be related to abnormal tissue recovery such as scar formation due to wound retraction that might create mechanical compression on the nerve tissue. In this report we describe infiltration block with diclofenac sodium and lidocaine through the hypertrophic scar tissue to reduce mechanical stress in 3 patients. The infiltration technique might resolve the tension of the contracted scar tissue by tearing the adhesions and the eliminated mechanical compression would reduce the pressure on nerve tissue and hence neuropathic pain symptoms.

Comparison of intrathecal levobupivacaine combined with sufentanil, fentanyl, or placebo for elective caesarean section: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The addition of opioids to local anesthetics contributes to the quality of spinal anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. OBJECTIVE: In our prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study, our aim was to compare the effect of low-dose sufentanil plus levobupivacaine or a fentanyl plus levobupivacaine mixture on anesthesia quality, block characteristics, newborn and mother well-being, surgeon satisfaction, and duration of postoperative analgesia. METHODS: Ninety-three patients were randomized into 3 groups (n = 31). Patients in Group C received 0.5% levobupivacaine (2.2 ± 0.2 mL), Group S received 2.5 µg sufentanil plus 0.5% levobupivacaine (2.2 ± 0.2 mL), and Group F received 10 µg fentanyl plus 0.5% levobupivacaine (2.2 ± 0.2 mL) intrathecally completed to a volume of 3 mL with the addition of saline in all groups. Patients' demographics, sensory and motor block characteristics, hemodynamics, Apgar scores, umbilical blood gas values, maternal side effects, surgeon satisfaction score, time to first analgesia requirement, and additional analgesic use within 24 hours were recorded. RESULTS: In Group S and Group F, target levels of sensory and motor block were achieved more rapidly (P < 0.001). The hemodynamic values were lower (P < 0.05), and the duration of sensory blockade and the time of first analgesic requirement were longer (P < 0.001) in Group S. Additional analgesic requirement during first 24-hour period was lowest in Group S, and highest in Group C (P < 0.001). Apgar scores and umbilical blood gas samples were similar between groups. Postoperative pruritus was more frequent in Group S (P < 0.001) and surgeon satisfaction score was significantly lower in Group C (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the addition of sufentanil and fentanyl to intrathecal levobupivacaine during caesarean section surgery is more effective than the administration of levobupivacaine alone. The addition of sufentanil to levobupivacaine allowed rapid onset time for sensory and motor block levels. It also extended the duration of postoperative analgesia and led to a decrease in total analgesic requirement. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01858090.