ANALGESIC PROVISION FOR PATIENTS UNDERGOING DAY CASE ARTHROSCOPIC SHOULDER SURGERY IN A DISTRICT GENERAL HOSPITAL

Post-operative pain is well recognised in patients undergoing shoulder surgery. With the recent advances in arthroscopic shoulder surgery over the last decade, a larger number of cases are being performed in day surgery units. These procedures are generally performed under general anaesthetic with either an interscalene or suprascapular nerve block or local anaesthetic infiltration.The aim of our prospective audit was to investigate the adequacy of analgesia provided for patients, undergoing day case arthroscopic shoulder procedures in a rural district general hospital, to ensure best medical care and to tailor certain procedures to appropriate analgesic pathways in the future.Fifty consecutive patients, who underwent day case arthroscopic shoulder surgery, were contacted by telephone one week post surgery, to assess their post-operative pain scores and analgesic requirements.Patients who received a nerve block were found to have a significantly longer duration of pain relief (p < 0.001). These patients a...