JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Open appendectomy is commonly performed under either general or spinal anesthesia. Postoperative quality of recovery, a multidimensional patient-centered measure of outcomes after surgery, is affected by the choice of anesthesia technique.

Objective:

The objective of our study was to compare the effects of general and spinal anesthesia on the immediate postoperative quality of recovery in adults undergoing open appendectomy.

Methods:

In this prospective cohort study, 74 patients were assigned to either general (n=37) or spinal anesthesia (n=37) groups. The primary outcome was the total Quality of Recovery-15 score measured 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included postoperative pain scores, analgesic consumption, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, time to first oral intake, time to first ambulation, and length of hospital stay. Intergroup comparisons were performed using the Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, independent t-test, or Mann–Whitney U test, as appropriate.

Results:

Patients in the spinal anesthesia group had significantly higher QoR-15 scores than the general anesthesia group (P = .001). They also exhibited lower pain scores at 1, 2, 6, and 12 hours postoperatively (P<.001), reduced consumption of diclofenac and tramadol, and a decreased incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (P<.001). The time to first mobilization, oral intake, and length of hospital stays were also significantly lower in the spinal anesthesia groups (P< .001).

Conclusions:

Spinal anesthesia is a preferred anesthesia technique for patients undergoing open appendectomy. It provides a better quality of postoperative recovery, improves pain control, reduces the need for analgesia, minimizes nausea and vomiting, and improves intra-hospital patient recovery trajectories. Clinical Trial: Not applicable