Does regional anaesthesia improve outcome?

Outcome after surgery is of interest to the patient, the surgeon and the healthcare institution. There is conclusive evidence that regional anaesthesia is associated with superior analgesic outcomes compared to opioid-based analgesic techniques and may also reduce chronic pain. While better pain control and avoiding a general anaesthetic may alone be regarded as significant outcome benefits, regional anaesthesia and analgesia may influence many other important outcomes. Regional anaesthesia clearly reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting and pulmonary complications compared to general anaesthesia. Regional anaesthesia independently reduces length of stay and is a common component of enhanced recovery packages. Contemporary, but less robust, data suggests that neuraxial anaesthesia, and to a lesser extent analgesia, may reduce blood transfusion recurrence and maybe even mortality. Any functional outcome benefits secondary to regional anaesthesia appear to be short lived and are generally not sustained long term.

Automated summary

Regional anaesthesia shows superior outcomes in postoperative pain control, reducing nausea and vomiting, pulmonary complications, and length of stay. It may also have potential benefits in reducing blood transfusion recurrence and mortality rates, although functional outcomes appear to be short-lived.