A retrospective examination of the effects of regional anesthesia methods applied for postoperative pain control on analgesic consumption after lower extremity surgery

Objective: If preferable, the regional anesthesia is a more preferred method than general anesthesia. The preference for regional anesthesia increases as postoperative recovery is quicker, hospitalization is less and hospital costs are low. Material and methods: We retrospectively evaluated the hemodynamic findings, postoperative pain, hospital, and intensive care stay in patients aged 18-80 who underwent lower extremity surgery with regional anesthesia in the last 1 year. We divided the cases into 3 groups; Group 1 (n =114) patients with a peripheral nerve block, Group 2 (n =104) spinal anesthesia, and Group 3 (n =81) epidural anesthesia. Results: The difference between group 1 and 2, age hospitalization, and time of stay in intensive care was statistically significant. (P=0.021) (P=0.000). The difference between group 1 and 3 Intensive care unit stay was statistically significant (P = 0.003). The difference between the length of stay in the intensive care unit between groups 2 and 3 was found as statistically significant (P = 0.000). There was no significant difference in terms of hospital stay. Group 1 was found to have the shortest duration of intensive care stay. Conclusion: In lower extremity surgeries, peripheral nerve blocks may have provided more hemodynamic stability and longer analgesic effect compared to central blocks.