Comparison of economical aspects of interscalene brachial plexus blockade and general anaesthesia for arthroscopic shoulder surgery

Background. This study investigated the cost-effectiveness of ultrasonographic-guided interscalene brachial plexus blockade (ISB) in comparison with general anaesthesia (GA) for arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Methods. Forty patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery received either an ultrasonographic-guided ISB or GA. ISB was performed outside the operation room (OR) and patients were transferred in the OR at the earliest 20 min after block performance. All drugs and disposables were recorded to evaluate the costs for both techniques. The following anaesthesia-related times were defined: ready for surgical preparation (from arrival in the OR until end of anaesthesia induction), OR emergence time (from end of dressing until leaving the OR), anaesthesia control time (from patient's arrival in the OR until readiness for positioning plus time from the end of surgery to patient's discharge from the OR), and post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) time (from patient's arrival in the PACU to the eligibility for discharge to normal ward). Personnel costs were excluded from statistical analysis. Results. The total costs were [mean (SD)] 33 (9)(sic) for patients with ISB and 41 (7)(sic) for those who received GA (P<0.01). The anaesthesia-related workflow was improved in the ISB group when compared with the GA group [ ready for surgical preparation 8 (3) vs 13 (5) min, P<0.001; OR emergence time 4 (3) vs 10 (5), P<0.001; anaesthesia control time 12 (4) vs 23 (6), P<0.001; and PACU time 45 (17) vs 70 (20), P<0.001]. Conclusions. Ultrasonographic-guided ISB is a cost-effective method for arthroscopic shoulder surgery.