Abstract The anesthesia method to be administered during emergency surgical procedures for COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pneumonia patients carries great importance for both patient and surgical team. Regional blocks are generally used to ensure postoperative analgesia after abdominal surgery with general anesthesia. In this case, involving a patient receiving anticoagulant treatment due to COVID-19 pneumonia with planned emergency operation, the aim was to present the anesthesia management with rectus sheath and transversus abdominis plane block combination for the ileostomy operation. Due to the administered blocks, the patient was not given general anesthesia. Hence, transmission was reduced by minimizing aerosol formation in terms of protecting health personnel and worsening of the patient’s pneumonia was prevented. The case is discussed in terms of regional anesthesia techniques offering a good alternative in appropriate cases for both employee and patient safety in the present day, when the whole world is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resumo Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos de três doses diferentes de gabapentina como pré-tratamento sobre a incidência e a gravidade dos movimentos mioclônicos associados à injeção de etomidato. Método: Cem pacientes, entre 18-60 anos, estado físico ASA I-II, programados para cirurgia eletiva sob anestesia geral, foram incluídos no estudo. Os pacientes foram randomicamente divididos em quatro grupos e duas horas antes da operação receberam cápsulas orais de placebo (Grupo P, n = 25), 400 mg de gabapentina (Grupo G400, n = 25), 800 mg de gabapentina (Grupo G800, n = 25) e 1.200 mg de gabapentina (Grupo G1.200, n = 25). Os efeitos colaterais antes da cirurgia foram registados. Após pré-oxigenação para a indução da anestesia, etomidate (0,3 mg.kg−1) foi administrado por 10 segundos. Um único anestesista, cego para a medicação do estudo, avaliou a sedação e os movimentos mioclônicos com uma escala de 0 a 3. Dois minutos após a indução, fentanil (2 µgr.kg−1) e rocurônio (0,8 mg.kg−1) foram administrados para a intubação traqueal. Resultados: Os dados demográficos foram semelhantes. A incidência e a gravidade da mioclonia nos grupos G1.200 e G800 foram significativamente menores do que no Grupo P; a incidência e o nível de sedação foram consideravelmente maiores comparados com o Grupo P e o Grupo G400. Enquanto não houve diferença na incidência de mioclonia entre os grupos P e G400, a gravidade da mioclonia no Grupo G400 foi menor do que no grupo placebo. No período de duas horas antes da indução, nenhum dos efeitos colaterais relacionados à gabapentina, exceto sedação, foi observado em qualquer paciente. Conclusão: O pré-tratamento com 800 mg e 1.200 mg de gabapentina duas horas antes da operação aumentou o nível de sedação e reduziu a incidência e a gravidade dos movimentos mioclônicos associados ao etomidato.

Abstract Aim: To evaluate the effects of three different doses of gabapentin pretreatment on the incidence and severity of myoclonic movements linked to etomidate injection. Method: One hundered patients, between 18 and 60 years of age and risk category American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II, with planned elective surgery under general anesthetic were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into four groups and 2 h before the operation were given oral capsules of placebo (Group P, n = 25), 400 mg gabapentin (Group G400, n = 25), 800 mg gabapentin (Group G800, n = 25) or 1200 mg gabapentin (Group G1200, n = 25). Side effects before the operation were recorded. After preoxygenation for anesthesia induction 0.3 mg kg−1 etomidate was administered for 10 s. A single anesthetist with no knowledge of the study medication evaluated sedation and myoclonic movements on a scale between 0 and 3. Two minutes after induction, 2 µg kg−1 fentanyl and 0.8 mg kg−1 rocuronium were administered for tracheal intubation. Results: Demographic data were similar. Incidence and severity of myoclonus in Group G1200 and Group G800 were significantly lower than in Group P; sedation incidence and level were appreciably higher compared to Group P and Group G400. While there was no difference in the incidence of myoclonus between Group P and Group G400, the severity of myoclonus in Group G400 was lower than in the placebo group. In the two-hour period before induction other than sedation none of the side effects related to gabapentin were observed in any patient. Conclusion: Pretreatment with 800 mg and 1200 mg gabapentin 2 h before the operation increased the level of sedation and reduced the incidence and severity of myoclonic movements due to etomidate.