Background and Objective: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is one of the complications frequently observed after spinal or epidural anesthesia with dural penetration. For PDPH patients who do not respond to conservative medical treatment, alternative treatments such as bilateral occipital nerve block should be considered.In this study the

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anesthesia management of pregnant patients who received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at our hospital and to examine the effects of this procedure on mothers and fetuses. This study was conducted with 15 pregnant patients who underwent the ECT procedure who did not benefit from medical treatment or who did not want medical treatment. We evaluated the psychiatric, obstetric, and especially anesthesiology records of these patients. All of the patients received 1 mg/kg propofol with 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium. Eight mg/kg sugammadex was used to terminate the effects of the non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents. Their demographic characteristics, history of diagnosis, total ECT sessions, duration of hospitalization, discharge status, neonatal outcomes, short- and long-term maternal or fetal complications, anesthetic management, and recovery parameters were retrospectively reviewed. Fifteen pregnant patients received a total of 95 ECT treatments. No anesthesia-related maternal complications developed. In terms of the recovery parameters of the patients, the mean duration of the motor seizure was 28.7 ± 6.3 seconds, the mean time to spontaneous respiration was 224 ± 21.8 secs, the mean time to opening the eyes was 403.6 ± 21.1 secs, and the mean time to command compliance was 415.24 ± 81.15 secs. The mean gestational week was 14.06 ± 6.65, and the mean number of pregnancies was 2.87 ± 2.29. Seven (46,7%) patients were in the first trimester of pregnancy, six (40%) were in the second trimester, and two (13.3%) were in the third trimester. Spontaneous abortion occurred in four patients, six patients gave birth by spontaneous vaginal delivery, and five patients delivered by cesarean section. Neonatal respiratory distress developed in only one fetus. Anesthesia management during ECT can be provided safely by using propofol and rocuronium-sugammadex in pregnancy in the postoperative period. However, there is a risk of abortion and neonatal respiratory distress in the use of ECT, especially in the first trimester period. It is advisable to inform the patient's family in detail before this procedure outcome.

Placental invasion anomalies are associated with high mortality and may require hysterectomy due to the high risk of massive hemorrhage. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate intraoperative anesthetic management, postoperative follow-up, clinical features, and fetal wellbeing in patients undergoing cesarean section due to placental invasion anomalies in a tertiary health center. The retrospective study included patients that underwent cesarean section due to placental invasion anomalies at a tertiary health center over the period between 2013 and 2018. Intraoperative anesthetic management, blood and blood products transfusion, and total volume of blood loss, as well as neonatal Apgar score and postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up, were reviewed for each patient. The study evaluated a total of 92 patients that underwent cesarean section due to placental invasion anomalies, including 49 patients with placenta previa, 42 patients with placenta percreta, and one patient with placenta accreta. Of the 92 patients, 59 (64.1%) patients underwent general anesthesia, 31 (33.7%) underwent spinal anesthesia, and two (2.2%) underwent spinal anesthesia followed by general anesthesia. Hysterectomy was performed in four patients, including three patients who underwent general anesthesia and one patient who started with spinal anesthesia and subsequently switched to general anesthesia prior to a hysterectomy. The Apgar scores at min 1 and min 5 after the induction of anesthesia were significantly lower in patients who underwent general anesthesia as compared to those who underwent spinal anesthesia (p=0.002 and p=0.007, respectively). The duration of surgery and intraoperative blood loss were significantly higher in patients with placenta percreta as compared to other patients (p<0.001 for both). In surgical planning for the patients with placental invasion anomalies, care should be taken by anesthesiologists to select the most ideal anesthetic technique, by taking into account the type of anomaly, probable volume of blood loss, and surgical complications, to ensure both maternal and fetal wellbeing. Moreover, the coordination of a team of well-educated and experienced staff is essential.

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) is a reliable and objective method for assessing the adequacy of infraclavicular block and to describe the time course of StO2 changes. Materials and Methods: In this prospective observational study, StO2 was measured in 40 patients planned for elective hand surgery under infraclavicular block. Noninvasive StO2 monitoring was used prior to ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block and during the first 30 min of the blockade. Sensory and motor blocks were evaluated every 5 min followed by pinprick testing and Bromage scale. Results: Preanesthetic median StO2 values of the blocked side and nonblocked side were similar (p = 0.532), whereas the postanesthetic values of the blocked side were higher. At the fifth minute and the following minute, measurements compared to the nonblocked side (p < 0.001). The median StO2 values increased significantly, which increased by 4.5% at 5 min, by another 5.5% at 30 min, and by an average of 1% from 5 to 30 min compared to the baseline values in the blocked side. The responses of the patients to the questions probed in the pinprick test and Bromage scale were fully compatible with the data obtained by the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method. Conclusions: StO2 monitoring may provide a useful instrument for rapid evaluation of the success of regional anesthesia in the upper extremity.

Treatment of postdural puncture headaches involves oral or intravenous (IV) fluid or caffeine-containing analgesics, micro-catheterization of spinal space, epidural administration of blood obtained from the patient, or epidural blood patch and fiberoptic imaging-guided epidural interventional techniques. Epidural blood patch is, to date, the most effective treatment, but it is an invasive procedure that may result in serious complications. Spinal anaesthesia was planned for a 22 year old male patient diagnosed with inguinal hernia and for a 42 year old female patient diagnosed with venous stasis. On the first post-operative day, the patients with a postdural puncture headache received conservative medical treatment. As medical treatment was ineffective, they received ultrasound-guided greater bilateral occipital nerve block. In this case report, the effect of the ultrasound-guided bilateral greater occipital nerve block on postdural puncture headache is discussed.

Anaesthesiologists must always prefer the safest method to minimize the risk for patients. At present, ultrasound-guided blockage of the greater occipital nerve can be performed in a safe manner. In this report, we presented our experience of ultrasound-guided blockage of the greater occipital nerve that we performed in a patient with a mass at the back of the neck who had risk of general anaesthesia because of comorbidities.