Comparison of Anesthetic and Analgesic Efficacy of Selective Trunk and Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Blocks in Upper Extremity Surgery

Currently, brachial plexus block performed with various approaches is preferred to general anesthesia due to its advantages in upper extremity surgeries. These advantages can be listed as protecting the patient's consciousness, minimum effect on breathing, reducing airway interventions, enabling long-term postoperative pain control, reducing opioid-related side effects, limiting metabolic and endocrine changes due to surgery, and early discharge of hospital. The supraclavicular approach has a rapid onset of block and a high success rate. Close proximity to the pleura is the main disadvantage, but the widespread use of USG in peripheral blocks has also reduced the risk of complications related to this proximity. In the selective truncus approach defined by Manoj Kumar Karmakar in 2020, three trunks of the brachial plexus can be identified separately and selectively blocked under ultrasound guidance. It has been suggested that sensory/motor block occurs in all ipsilateral upper extremity dermatomes except T2 by selective blocking of the upper, middle, and lower trunks. In this study, the selective trunk method and the supraclavicular method will be compared.

Patients who will undergo upper extremity elbow and below-elbow surgery in the orthopedics and traumatology operating room will be included in the study. The primary aim of the study is to compare the success rates of supraclavicular and selective truncus blocks in patients scheduled for hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow surgery. Comparisons will be made by measuring the first analgesic time after surgery. Secondary aims are sensory and motor block success rates between the two methods. The block application time, preparation time for surgery, number of needle insertions, tourniquet pain, diaphragmatic paralysis rate, complications (vascular puncture, paresthesia, horner's syndrome, hoarseness, local anesthetic toxicity, pneumothorax) patient satisfaction, surgeon satisfaction and total analgesic amount at the end of the postoperative 12 and 24 hours will be recorded.