title: Effects of volatile anesthetic choice on hospital length-of-stay: a retrospective study and a prospective trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Volatile anesthetic prices differ substantially. But differences in drug-acquisition cost would be inconsequential if hospitalization were prolonged by more soluble anesthetics. The authors tested the hypothesis that the duration of hospitalization is prolonged with isoflurane anesthesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Initially, the authors queried their electronic records and used propensity matching to generate homogeneous sets of adults having inpatient noncardiac surgery who were given desflurane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane. The authors then conducted a prospective alternating intervention trial in which adults (mostly having colorectal surgery) were assigned to isoflurane or sevoflurane, based on protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the retrospective analysis, 2,898 matched triplets were identified among 43,352 adults, each containing one patient receiving isoflurane, desflurane, and sevoflurane, respectively. The adjusted geometric mean (95% CI) hospital length-of-stay for the isoflurane cases was 2.85 days (2.78-2.93); this was longer than that observed for both desflurane (2.64 [2.57-2.72]; P<0.001) and sevoflurane (2.55 [2.48-2.62]; P<0.001). In the prospective trial (N=1,584 operations), no difference was found; the adjusted ratio of means (95% CI) of hospital length-of-stay in patients receiving isoflurane versus sevoflurane was 0.98 (0.88-1.10), P=0.77, with adjusted geometric means (95% CI) estimated at 4.1 (3.8-4.4) and 4.2 days (3.8-4.5), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of the propensity-matched retrospective analysis suggested that avoiding isoflurane significantly reduced the duration of hospitalization. In contrast, length-of-stay was comparable in our prospective trial. Volatile anesthetic choice should not be based on concerns about the duration of hospitalization. These studies illustrate the importance of following even the best retrospective analysis with a prospective trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Anesthesia, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Tatyana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kopyeva
authors.forename: Daniel I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Sessler
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Jarrod E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mascha
authors.forename: Jae H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ravi P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Kiran
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Udeh
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D007530:Isoflurane; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018401:Sample Size; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D007530:Isoflurane