Ultrasound-guided glossopharyngeal nerve block for safe and effective anesthesia in a critically ill patient with acute myocardial infarction undergoing urgent endoscopy

Abstract

Glossopharyngeal nerve block (GPNB) can provide effective anesthesia for procedures involving the oropharynx and upper airway. Ultrasound-guided GPNB (UGPNB) may be particularly useful when conventional sedation or topical anesthesia is undesirable because of the risk of respiratory or cardiovascular complications. In this article, we report the use of UGPNB as an alternative anesthetic technique for gastroduodenal endoscopy in a 57-year-old male patient with AMI and gastrointestinal bleeding. In this patient requiring emergency endoscopy, UGPNB was performed via the peristyloid approach to provide oropharyngeal anesthesia while minimizing the need for sedation. The block effectively suppressed the gag reflex and provided adequate procedural conditions while maintaining hemodynamic stability. No procedure-related complications or adverse effects were observed, and the patient reported no discomfort following the procedure. In conclusion, UGPNB may be a useful alternative to sedation for endoscopy in high-risk cardiac patients.

Cite this article as: Turkoz A, Win MS, Sari M. Ultrasound-guided glossopharyngeal nerve block for safe and effective anesthesia in a critically ill patient with acute myocardial infarction undergoing urgent endoscopy. Agri 2026;38(4):302-305. doi: 10.5606/agri.2026.64.

All authors contributed to the preparation of the case report and manuscript writing and editing. Ayda Turkoz reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The authors declare that artificial intelligence (AI) tools were not used, or were used solely for language editing, and had no role in data analysis, interpretation, or the formulation of conclusions. All scientific content, data interpretation, and conclusions are the sole responsibility of the authors. The authors further confirm that AI tools were not used to generate, fabricate, or ‘hallucinate’ references, and that all references have been carefully verified for accuracy.

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

Data Sharing Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.