Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Techniques in Obese Patients

Use of Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Techniques in Obese Patients: A Prospective Observational Study

Obesity is a health problem throughout the world and has increasingly become a widespread epidemic all over the world and also in Turkey. Anesthesia management of obese patients is challenging because of difficult airway, increased drug doses, co-morbidities, loss of anatomical landmarks and difficulties in positioning.

Neuroaxial and peripheral nerve blocks are widely used in anesthesia practice in both obese and non-obese patients undergoing different surgical operations.

In this prospective observational study, the investigators plan to enroll all patients that are applied neuroaxial or peripheral blocks during the study period. The aim of this study is to compare the differences and difficulties of regional anesthesia/analgesia techniques in obese and non-obese patients.

Obesity is a health problem throughout the world and has increasingly become a widespread epidemic all over the world and also in Turkey. Anesthesia management of obese patients is challenging because of difficult airway, increased drug doses, co-morbidities, loss of anatomical landmarks and difficulties in positioning.

On the other hand, neuroaxial and peripheral nerve blocks are widely used in anesthesia practice in both obese and non-obese patients undergoing different surgical operations.

In this prospective observational study, the investigators plan to enroll all patients that are applied neuroaxial or peripheral blocks during the study period. The difficulty of block performance, its relationship with experience, the requirement of changing hands with more experienced clinician, the requirement of changing patient position, regional anesthesia approach or needle (size and length), the requirement of adding rescue block, block success, performance duration, the number of needle direction (multiple attempts), the requirement of changing anesthesia or analgesia technique (conversion to general anesthesia), the requirement of adding another block monitorisation technique, adverse effect/complication, patient satisfaction and patient's request for a similar technique next time are all recorded both in obese and non-obese patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients eligible for regional anesthesia/analgesia
• > 18 years old
• ASA 1-3

Exclusion Criteria:

• < 18 years old
• Patient refusal for regional anesthesia/analgesia
• Patient refusal to participate in the study
• Allergic to local anesthetics
• Psychiatric diseases
• Incapable to communicate