Objective:
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of brachial plexus nerve blocks in postoperative pain scores in upper extremity surgery.
Methods:
This retrospective research design was conducted with the pain and patient follow-up forms, which were registered in a training and research hospital between January 2015 and September 2018. Patients underwent unilateral upper extremity surgery under elective conditions with different clinical diagnoses were included in the study. A total of 180 patients in the 18-80 age group and in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I, II and III risk group who had no missing information in the pain and patient follow-up form were included in the study. Data was collected using the patient and pain follow-up form, Pinprick test and Modified Broomage scale. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, skewness and kurtosis, frequency (n), percentage (%), mean and standard deviation, minimum-maximum values, Wilcoxon test, paired t-test, Indipendent t-test, Kruskall-Wallis H test and Pearson correlation analysis used for data analysis.
Results:
There was no statiscally difference between block type and return time of pain sensation, return time of motor block negativity and return time of sensation. The patients with infraclavicular block had statiscally significantly higher ending time of motor block compared to the patients treated with interscalen and supraclavicular block (p=0,035). In addition, it was found that there were a low positive correlations between return time of pain sensation and ending time of motor block, return time of sensation. Similarly, there were a very low positive correlation between the return time of pain sensation and the amount of bupivacaine. Also, there were a high positive correlation between return time of pain sensation and ending time of motor block.
Conclusion:
The type of block had no effect on return time for percieved pain sensation. The number of block types, age, ASA group, type and amount of anesthetic drugs should be balanced and research should be repeat with a larger sample group.
Keywords: Brachial plexus block, interscalene block, infraclavicular block, supracilavicular block, pain