Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care

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Professor Karmakar Manoj Kumar

Professor. Karmakar Manoj Kumar is from the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care of the Faculty of Medicine, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and specializes in paediatric and regional anesthesia. He is the past president of the Asian Society of Paediatric Anaesthesiologist’s (ASPA). Professor Karmakar is internationally recognized for his research in regional anesthesia, in both adults and children, and his areas of research interest include thoracic paravertebral block, spinal sonography, ultrasound guided central neuraxial blocks and local anesthetic pharmacology. Professor. Karmakar has pioneered many novel regional anesthetic techniques and published extensively, with a total 344 publications, of which 175 are in high impact peer review journals. His research work has been cited 7800 times (Google Scholar as of 15 April 2023) and his H-index is 45. Professor Karmakar has been invited as a guest speaker to innumerable international meetings around the world, been a faculty of countless international workshops, and has lectured as a Visiting Professor at reputable international universities. Prof. Karmakar is also an Associate Editor for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and a guest reviewer for several reputed journals in Anesthesiology. He has also edited several textbooks and authored numerous book chapters in reference textbooks of regional anesthesia.

Main Research Interests – Field of Specialism
SCOPUS Author ID: 7003694275 (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3674-2095) 
Researcher ID: J-9370-2013 (http://www.researcherid.com/rid/J-9370-2013)  
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3674-2095

Adult Anaesthesia  

  • Thoracic Paravertebral Block in Anaesthetic Practice.
  • Pain Management following Thoracic Trauma.
  • Clinical Pharmacology of local Anaesthetic Agents.
  • Regional Anaesthesia for Major Breast Surgery.
  • Regional anaesthesia and its effects on Chronic pain generation and Quality of Life after major breast surgery.
  • Ultrasound Guided Peripheral Nerve Blocks 
  • Spinal Sonography in Regional Anaesthesia
  • Ultrasound Guided Central Neuraxial Blocks.

Paediatric Anaesthesia            

  • Regional Anaesthesia in children.
  • Thoracic paravertebral blockade in children.
  • Local anaesthetic pharmacology in children.
  • Ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia (peripheral and central neuraxial blocks) in children.

List of Research Output
Total Scholarly Publication:  345 with 174 peer-reviewed articles (as of 25 July 2023):

  • Peer-Reviewed Original Research Papers: 126
  • Editorial in Peer-Reviewed Journals: 2
  • Review: 3
  • Correspondence in Peer-Reviewed Journals: 39
  • Abstracts in Peer-Reviewed Journals: 4
  • Books Edited: 2
  • Book Co-Edited: 2
  • Book Chapters Authored: 42
  • Newsletter: 2
  • Post-graduate Thesis: 4
  • Abstract in the Proceedings of International Meetings: 119

Latest Publications

  1. Karmakar MK, Sivakumar RK, Sheah K, Pangthipampai P, Lönnqvist PA. The Retro Superior Costotransverse Ligament Space as a New Target For Ultrasound-guided Intertransverse Process Block. A Report of 2 Cases. A&A Practice. 2022; 16(7):e01610, July 2022 doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000001610. PMID: 35867848. (Case report, Corresponding Author).                                                                         
  2. Sivakumar RK, Karmakar MK, Reina MA, Sala-Blanch X. High-Definition Ultrasound Imaging of the Paraneural Sheath and Fascial Compartments Surrounding the Brachial Plexus at the Supraclavicular Fossa. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2022 Aug 16:rapm-2022-103822. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2022-103822. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35973780. (Research Report, Principal Investigator, Corresponding Author).
  3. Areeruk P, Sivakumar RK, Somani S. Samy W, Karmakar MK.  Regional Tissue Oxygen Saturation after Costoclavicular Brachial Plexus Block: A Prospective Non-Randomised Study of Intervention. Eur J of Anaesthesiol. 2022; 39 (10): 837-839 Oct 01 PMID: 36101909; DOI: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000001723 (Research report, Principal Investigator, Corresponding Author).  
  4. Sivakumar RK, Samy W, Pakpirom J, Songthamwat B, Karmakar MK. Ultrasound-Guided Selective Trunk Block: A Single-centre Cohort Study Evaluating Ipsilateral Sensorimotor Block Dynamics, Hemidiaphragmatic Function, and Efficacy as an All-purpose Anesthetic Technique for Upper Extremity Surgery. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2022 Oct 1;39(10):801-809. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000001736. Epub 2022 Aug 11. (Cohort study, Principal Investigator, Corresponding Author).   
  5. Karmakar MK, Pakpirom J, Sivakumar RK, Samy W. Ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block using a transverse in-plane approach at the level of the inferior articular process: a retrospective review of complications. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2023 Jan 4;rapm-2022-103983. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2022-103983. Online ahead of print(Research report, Principal Investigator, Corresponding Author).   
  6. Sivakumar RK, Karmakar MK. Variable Anterior Spread of Local Anesthetic after Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB): Time to Turn the Spotlight on the ‘Retro-SCTL space’. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2023 doi: 10.1136/rapm-2023-104362. Online ahead of print (Correspondence, Corresponding Author).  
  7. Sivakumar RK, Karmakar MK. A Modified First-targeted Ultrasound Window Only May Not Reduce the Incidence of Hemidiaphragmatic Involvement After a Selective trunk block (SeTB). Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2023 Jun 1;40(6):451-452. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000001826. (Correspondence, Corresponding Author).  
  8. Sivakumar RK, Karmakar MK. Reply: ‘Clarification sought on retro-SCTL space’. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2023. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2023-104512. Online ahead of print. (Correspondence, Corresponding Author).   
  9. Sivakumar RK, Karmakar MK. Spinal Sonography and Central Neuraxial Blocks. Best Practice & Research Clinical Anaesthesiology. 2023; 37: 209-242 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpa.2023.04.008, Online ahead of print, Available online 21 April 2023,  (Review, Corresponding Author).  
  10. Lönnqvist PA, Karmakar MK, Sivakumar RK. The mechanism of action of erector spinae plane block is not enigmatic: it is intravenous local anaesthetic effect by proxy. Br J Anaesth. 2023 Jun 15;S0007-0912(23)00256-8.doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.05.020. (Correspondence, Online ahead of print).  
  11. Karmakar MK, Sivakumar RK, Sheah K, Pangthipampai P, Lonnqvist PA. Quest for The Elusive Mechanism of Action for the Thoracic Paraspinal Nerve Block Techniques. Are we Ignoring the Anatomy of the “Retro Superior Costotransverse Ligament Space?” Anesth Analg. 2023 Aug 1;137(2):458-465. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000006462. Epub 2023 Jul 14. PMID: 37450909 (Review, Corresponding Author).                 

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