Regional Anesthesia Practices in Turkey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction The aim of the survey was to investigate the changes, methods, and preferences in regional anesthesia (RA) applications during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Methods The questionnaire prepared on surveymonkey.com was sent to anesthesiology and reanimation specialists by e-mail. Results A total of 126 physicians participated in the study. Forty-two point sixty-two percent (42.62%) of the participants reported an increase in RA practices in their clinical anesthesia applications, whereas 57.38% did not state any change. Neuraxial anesthesia was determined to be the most preferred RA application, with a rate of 74%. The distribution of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) showed that upper extremity blocks were used at a rate of 64.9%, lower extremity blocks at 30.38%, and trunk blocks at 15%. Investigation of neurostimulator (NS) and/or ultrasound (US) use with PNB showed that 44% of the participants used only US while 50% used both US and NS. Conclusion Neuraxial blocks play an important role in RA applications. PNB comprise one-quarter of RA applications during the pandemic. The importance of ultrasound has gradually increased in RA applications worldwide, as well as in Turkey, during the pandemic.