Local versus spinal anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair

Abstract EN

Objectives Compare local anesthesia, and spinal anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair, with respect to recovery time, perioperative complications and patient satisfaction.

Sitting and design: This is a prospective study conducted in KHMC Amman Jordon Methods: Eighty Four patients randomly divided into two groups.

LA group (n=42) received injection of 60 ml 0.5% xylocaine with adrenaline (1:200,000), and SA group (n=42) received 2ml 0.5% heavy bupivacaine into the subarachboid space.

Perioperative complications, visual analogue pain scale score for three days, patient satisfaction and hospital stay were recorded and assessed.

Results: Patients in spinal anesthesia group spent more time in operating theatre and recovery room, 22 patients (52.4%) with local anesthesia left the hospital on the same day of surgery, compared to only 14 patients (33.3%) in spinal anesthesia group( less postoperative admission in LA group).

The mean patient’s satisfaction score was 2.47 in the local anesthesia group and 2.19 in spinal anesthesia group; the difference is not statistically significant.

Postoperative complications occurred in four patients in spinal anesthesia group (2 urinary retention and 2 spinal headaches).

Postoperative wound infection in both groups was similar.