Anesthesia & Clinical Research
Open Access

Abstract

Post-Operative Effects: Comparison of Total Intravenous and Inhalational Anesthesia

Background: Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic with known antiemetic properties. Less confirmed are its potential analgesic or antinociceptive postoperative effects when used as a maintenance anesthetic during surgery. We compared the postoperative effects of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol to those of inhalational anesthesia with sevoflurane and looked for differences in the quality of recovery of patients.

Methods: We studied 23 patients scheduled to undergo endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Using a doubleblind experimental method, we randomly assigned patients to receive either TIVA with propofol/remifentanil (PR) or inhalational anesthesia with sevoflurane/remifentanil (SR). We measured degree of pain (per visual analog scale where 1=no pain and 10=worst pain imaginable), incidence of nausea and vomiting, and duration of recovery postoperatively.

Results: Mean pain rating was 3.4±3.3 in the PR group and 5.3±2.8 in the SR group. Median pain rating was 3±3 in the PR group and 5.5±1.5 in the SR group. In the PR group, 3 out of 12 patients reported a pain score > 4; In the SR group, 6 out of 10 patients reported a pain score > 4. Only 1 incidence of nausea was reported per group. Narcotics administered were comparable between both groups. Mean recovery time was 67±30 minutes in the PR group and 69±27 minutes in the SR group.

Conclusion: We found no statistically significant difference between TIVA with propofol and inhalational anesthesia with sevoflurane as they relate to postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, narcotic administration, and recovery time.