title: [Inhalational or intravenous anesthesia?].
abstract: The debate continues whether there is a difference in patient outcome following inhalational versus intravenous anesthesia. A recent meta-analysis showed improved outcome following inhalational anesthesia in patients undergoing cardiac surgery but not in patients undergoing non-cardiac procedures. In this article we discuss the meta-analysis and its caveats, taking into account additional comparative studies. Our overall conclusion is that it is too early to definitively claim that one anesthesia technique results in a better outcome than the other.
authors.affiliation: Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, afdeling Anesthesiologie, Leiden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dahan
authors.forename: L P H J
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Aarts
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000009:adverse effects; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous