A study in Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology found that regional anesthesia may hold advantages over general anesthesia for lumbar spine surgery.
The researchers conducted a literature review of randomized clinical trials that compared the use of regional anesthesia and general anesthesia for lumbar spine surgery. They identified 15 trials, comprising 961 patients, to investigate the impact of the type of anesthesia on intraoperative events, incidence of postoperative complications and recovery time.
Here's what you need to know:
1. Regional anesthesia was significantly associated with lower incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting for 24 hours after the procedure.
2. Regional anesthesia was significantly associated with lower length of stay.
3. Regional anesthesia was significantly associated with lower intraoperative blood loss.
4. There was no significant association between anesthesia type and pain score.
5. There was no significant association between anesthesia type and incidence of urinary retention.
The researchers concluded that regional anesthesia has "several advantageous characteristics," however, "further well-designed studies with more sample size are needed to clarify the associations with possible neurological complications."