EAJAIC
Eurasian Journal of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care

The Eurasian Journal of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (EAJAIC) is an independent-unbiased, peer-reviewed, "double-blind", and open-access journal of current national and international issues and reviews for original clinical and experimental research, interesting case reports, differential diagnoses, editorial opinions, letters to the editor, and educational papers in anesthesiology, algology, and intensive care medicine.

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eISSN: 3023-6738
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Original Article
Retrospective evaluation of patient-controlled analgesia practices in a tertiary care hospital
Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) methods applied in a tertiary health care institution, the profiles of the practitioners and the patients involved, and the factors affecting the application process.
Methods: The data of the patients who were administered patient-controlled analgesia in 2023 and 2024 were analyzed retrospectively. The demographic information of the patients, the types of PCA applications, in which clinics they started and for what purpose, who started the treatment, complications, reasons for termination, and duration of use were evaluated.
Results: 52.5% of the 1,040 patients included in the analysis were female, with a mean age of 55.7±17.75 years. The most common PCA method was epidural (53.7%), and the clinic where it was applied the most frequently was the orthopedics clinic. The complication rate was low, and the most common complication was found to be nausea-vomiting. The duration of PCA use showed a significant difference according to the type of application, and the longest duration was observed in PCA applied with a peripheral nerve catheter (p<0.001). Epidural PCAs were mostly initiated by resident physicians, while PCAs applied with peripheral nerve catheters were initiated by academic staff.
Conclusion: Patient-controlled analgesia is an effective and safe method in postoperative pain management. These retrospective findings provide important contributions to the evaluation and standardization of existing protocols.

Keywords : Patient-controlled analgesia, pain management, clinical supervision

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Article available in :
Volume 2, Issue 3, 2025
Page : 93-97
https://doi.org/10.51271/EAJAIC-0036
Article Information
Received : 28 May 2025
Accepted : 30 Haz 2025
Published : 06 Ağu 2025
Corresponding Author :

Ela Erten: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Erten E, Öğüç V. Retrospective evaluation of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) practices in a tertiary hospital. Eur J Anesthesiol Intens Care. 2025;2(3):93-97.

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