Reduction of operating and recovery room times and overnight hospital stays with interscalene blocks as sole anesthetic technique for rotator cuff surgery.

BACKGROUND: The effort to decrease hospital stays and to increase operating room efficacy has become an important consideration in the practice of anesthesia. METHODS: Fifty-three patients who underwent shoulder rotator cuff repair in the sitting position were divided into four groups according to the anesthesia technique used: Group 1 (general anesthesia), Group 2 (interscalene block), Group 3 (interscalene combined with general anesthesia) and Group 4 (general anesthesia combined with local injection of local anesthetics). Interscalene blocks were performed preoperatively, using a nerve stimulator. After appropriately locating the brachial plexus, a mixture of 40 ml of 2% lidocaine and 0.5% bupivacaine (v/v) was injected. RESULTS: As compared to general anesthesia, the use of an interscalene block alone reduced the following operating room times: 1) from the patient's arrival in the operating room to the beginning of surgery and 2) from the end of surgery to the patient's departure from the operating room. Use of the interscalene block also resulted in a reduction of recovery time when compared to Groups 1, 3 and 4 by 40, 56 and 66%, respectively. Compared to Group 1, this anesthesia technique was furthermore associated with a 64% decrease in the number of patients hospitalized overnight. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that the interscalene block as sole anesthesia technique is safe and effective and can contribute to shorten the hospital length of stay of patients undergoing shoulder rotator cuff surgery.