A new study found patients receiving undergoing a total hip or knee replacement incurred a higher incidence of surgical site infections when they received general anesthesia for the procedure over the same procedures performed under regional anesthesia, according to a news release from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
The study, which appears in the Aug. 2010 issue of Anesthesiology, of almost 3,100 patients in Taiwan revealed that of the 56 patients who had an SSI, 33 had general anesthesia and 23 had regional (epidural or spinal) anesthesia
"The study's findings support the evolving concept of long-term consequences of anesthesia," said Chuen-Chau Chang, MD, MPH, PhD, lead author on the study, according to the news release. "This research demonstrates that anesthetic choices may impact a patient beyond the operating room and hospital stay which could increase in-hospital and post-discharge financial burdens."
Read the news release from the ASA on anesthesia and surgical site infections.
View the full story in Anesthesiology.
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