Retrospective study of sciatic-femoral nerve blocks which are used in lower extremity surgery about our clinical practice

In our study;we aimed to investigate the files of patients who had undergone lower extremity surgery (femur,knee,tibia,ankle,foot surgery ) and had been applied sciatic femoral nevre block by using periferic nevre stimulator,in our clinic between 2009 July and 2010 July.Our study was planned as retrospective. After approval of the Ethics Committee of the Medical School of the Dicle University, who have been planned elective lower extremity surgery ,ASA 1-2,aged 18-65 ,60 patients were included in our study.The files of 60 patients who had undergone lower extremity surgery and had been applied sciatic femoral nerve block as an anesthesia method were randomly selected.Bupivacaine had been used at 34 patients,levobupivacaine had been used at 26 patients from these 60 patients.Patients were divided into two groups as group bupivacaine(group B) and group levobupivacaine(group L).The parameters; the applying time of technique,the duration of deliverying the patients to the surgery, the hemodynamic changes in the patients, complications emerged during the surgery and the post-operative period, the need for intraoperative supplementary analgesic, the duration of motor block, the need for first postoperative analgesic and the total amount of analgesic consumed, patient satisfaction and surgery satisfaction were checked.There was no significant difference statistically between the groups in demographic datas, the applying time of technique,the duration of deliverying the patients to the surgery,the time of obtaining total motor block and duration of motor block, the postoperative complications, the need for intraoperative supplementary analgesic, the need for first postoperative analgesic and the total amount of analgesic consumed, patient satisfaction and surgery satisfaction (p>0.05).İt is concluded that; at orthopedic lower extremity surgery using the sciatic femoral nerve block, with a concentration of 0.375 % of bupivacaine and levobupivacaine has been thought as adequte level, and safe as an anesthesia method. The peripheral nerve block application could have important advantages like providing long term analgesia in the postoperative period and reducing the postoperative analgesic consumption.