title: Beneficial impact of epidural anesthesia on recovery after outpatient arthroscopy.
abstract: The ideal outpatient anesthetic provides analgesia, is readily reversible, has minimal complications, and allows for a prompt hospital discharge. Iatrogenic side effects, such as nausea/vomiting and pain, however, may hamper patient recovery and delay discharge. The influence of anesthesia [general (G) versus epidural (E)] was assessed in 260 patients (G = 181, E = 79) undergoing ambulatory knee arthroscopic surgery. Patients were studied before discharge and on follow-up (24 h) to evaluate the effect of the anesthetic technique. Discharge times were shorter in the E group (159 +/- 6 min SEM E, compared with 208 +/- 8 min SEM G), as was the incidence of pain (24.1% versus 49.7%), and nausea/vomiting (8.9% versus 32%) before discharge. Patient satisfaction was equal in the two groups. Our study shows that in select patients, epidural anesthesia is a viable alternative to general anesthesia for knee arthroscopy, offering the advantages of fewer side effects and earlier discharge times.
authors.affiliation: Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Parnass
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Corey
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasson
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Werling
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Ivankovich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000009:adverse effects; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects; D001182:Arthroscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies