Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2016
Regional Anesthesia Is Cost-Effective in Preventing Unanticipated Hospital Admission in Pediatric Patients Having Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Published studies have shown a benefit of regional anesthesia (RA) in preventing unplanned hospital admissions (UHAs) and decreasing hospital costs after orthopedic surgeries in adults but not pediatric patients. We performed a retrospective analysis to assess the effect of converting from an opioid to RA-based approach to pain management after pediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. ⋯ Regional anesthesia for pain after ACL repair in pediatric patients facilitated reliable same-day surgery discharge and significantly reduced UHAs. Single-shot blocks and blocks performed outside the OR were the most cost-effective. In addition, nerve block patients required less opioids and were ready for discharge sooner.