IMPACT OF REGIONAL VERSUS GENERAL ANESTHESIA TECHNIQUES ON POSTOPERATIVE RECOVERY AND PATIENT SATISFACTION

Abstract

One of the most significant problems in the perioperative care with a special emphasis on the influence of anesthetic technique is the quality of postoperative recovery. The aim of this research question was to test the difference between the regional and general anesthesia on the basis of their influence to the postoperative recovery and patient satisfaction. In this case study, the regional and general anesthesia groups had a propensity score that was similar to this retrospective cohort of 1,284 18 years and older patients who had surgical operations within the past five years. The electronic medical records were used to receive the information about the pain scores, the number of opioid intake in Morphine Milligram Equivalents, the milestones in functional recovery, the Quality of Recovery-15 scores, and patient satisfaction. To offer a single measure of recovery a new Composite Recovery Score based on a composite of pain management, functional recovery and psychological well-being was computed. The regional anesthesia group scored much lower in pain at all the postoperative periods with mean NRS scores of 2.1 and 2.2 at PACU arrival and 48 hours, respectively. The regional anesthesia group (22.5 versus 68.3 Morphine Milligram Equivalents) had a 67 percent decrease in opioid consumption. The time spent walking around reduced by almost half (8.2 versus 14.5 hours) and postoperative nausea and vomiting was observed in 15.2 percent and 38.2 percent of the patients. The Composite Recovery Score was much higher in the regional anesthesia group (0.84 vs. 0.68) and associated with higher Quality of Recovery-15 scores (136.7 vs. 118.7) and patient satisfaction ratings. Multivariate analysis put the anesthetic technique as the most significant independent predictor of pain, opioid use and length of stay in a general anesthesia related hospital with a 26.4 hour longer hospital stay.Regional anesthesia has been associated with the high quality of postoperative recovery which is low pain level, low opioids levels, quick functional status recovery, patient satisfaction and decreased hospitalization. These data verify the preference of the regional approaches to the situation of the clinical possibilities in order to gain the maximum out of the perioperative period and resources usage.