Spinal anaesthesia with chloroprocaine 1% versus total intravenous anaesthesia for outpatient knee arthroscopy: A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND Both general and spinal anaesthesia with short-acting local anaesthetics are suitable and reliable for knee arthroscopy as an ambulatory procedure. Chloroprocaine (CP) 1% seems to be the ideal spinal local anaesthetic for this indication. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare spinal anaesthesia using CP 1% with general for outpatient knee arthroscopy with regard to procedure times, occurrence of pain, patient satisfaction and recovery, and also costs. DESIGN A randomised controlled single-centre trial. SETTING University Medical Centre Mannheim, Department of Anaesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Care Medicine, Mannheim, Germany. April 2014 to August 2015. PATIENTS A total of 50 patients (women/men, 18 to 80 years old, ASA I to III) undergoing outpatient knee arthroscopy were included. A contra-indication to an allocated anaesthetic technique or an allergy to medication required in the protocol led to exclusion. INTERVENTIONS Either general anaesthesia with sufentanil, propofol and a laryngeal mask for airway-management or spinal with 40-mg CP 1% were used. We noted procedure times, patient satisfaction/recovery and conducted a 7-day follow-up. MAIN OUTOMES Primary outcome was duration of stay in the day-surgery centre. Secondary outcomes were first occurrence of pain, patient satisfaction, quality of recovery and adverse effects. In addition, we analysed treatment costs. RESULTS Spinal had faster recovery than general anaesthesia with patients reaching discharge criteria significantly earlier [117 min (66 to 167) versus 142 min (82 to 228), P = 0.0047]. Pain occurred significantly earlier in the general anaesthesia group (P = 0.0072). Costs were less with spinal anaesthesia (cost ratio spinal: general 0.57). Patients felt significantly more uncomfortable after general anaesthesia (P = 0.0096). CONCLUSION Spinal anaesthesia with 40-mg CP 1% leads to a significantly earlier discharge and is cheaper compared with general. TRIAL REGISTRATION German Clinical Trials Register, www.drks.de, identifier: DRKS00005989.

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