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)€ for patients with ISB and 41 (7)€ for those who received GA ( P vs 13 (5) min, P vs 10 (5), P vs 23 (6), P vs 70 (20), P Conclusions Ultrasonographic-guided ISB is a cost-effective method for arthroscopic shoulder surgery.