Comparison of outcome between patients receiving general anesthesia combined with continuous epidural anesthesia and patients receiving general anesthesia combined with intermittent epidural anesthesia

Abstract

Background: The use of combined anesthesia including general and epidural anesthesia has been known to have better outcomes than the use of general anesthesia alone. The combination technique results in fewer complications and lower mortality rates, in addition to better control of pain. This study aims to analyze the outcomes of patients receiving a combination of general and continuous epidural anesthesia (GA-CEA) compared to patients receiving a combination of general and intermittent epidural anesthesia (GA-IEA). Patients and Methods: Thirty patients undergoing hysterectomy were randomly divided into two groups: those receiving a combination of GA-CEA and those receiving a combination of GA-IEA. After the surgery, patients were assessed for their pain levels, physical performances (using the Seven-Level Mobilization Scale), mortality, and morbidities. Results: There were neither mortalities nor morbidities observed among participants in both groups. The pain levels and physical performance between the two groups showed no statistical difference on days 1, 3, and 7. GA-CEA group required fewer doses of epidural analgesia compared to the GA-IEA group (14.53 mL vs. 19.47 mL, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Overall, there was no difference between GA-CEA and GA-IEA techniques on mortality, morbidities, pain levels, and physical performance. However, the GA-CEA technique did require a fewer dose of analgesic.