Patient benefits
- Avoids GA and its sequelae including:
- Cardiovascular compromise
- PONV
- Attenuates stress response to surgery e.g. improved glycaemic control, reduced myocardial ischaemia
- Analgesia:
- Superior post-operative analgesia to parenteral opioids
- Reduces use of, and side-effects from, alternative analgesics e.g. opioids
- Reduced incidence of chronic post-surgical pain e.g. post-thoracotomy pain
- Less immunosuppressive compared to GA or opioids
- Potentially reduced sleep disturbance
- Higher patient satisfaction
Surgical benefits
- Facilitates earlier physiotherapy and joint mobilisation after lower limb arthroplasty
- Longer-lasting patency of AV fistulae in those created under RA vs. local anaesthesia
Institutional benefits
- Reduced length of stay
- Reduced rate of unanticipated day surgery admission
- Reduced odds of unplanned ICU admission vs. GA alone in patients undergoing major truncal or limb surgery
- Possible reduction in healthcare costs