Regional anaesthesia in day-stay and short-stay surgery

Summary The goals for ambulatory surgery are rapid recovery with minimal side effects, adequate postoperative pain control, rapid patient discharge and overall cost containment. The addition of regional anaesthetic techniques has been shown to decrease nausea, postoperative pain scores and the need for post-anaesthesia care unit monitoring. The use of regional anaesthesia is increasing as studies confirm the goals for ambulatory anaesthesia can be met with a combination of regional anaesthesia and a multimodal pain management regimen.