Recovery Profile Using Modified Aldrete Score in Post Anaesthesia Care Unit After Sevoflurane or Desflurane Anaesthesia: A Prospective Randomised Study

Abstract

Introduction: General Anaesthesia should provide rapid smooth induction and optimal conditions during the perioperative period. It should also provide rapid recovery and minimum monitoring period to meet discharge criteria in Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Aim: To assess the efficacy of sevoflurane and desflurane with regards to emergence and recovery in surgical procedures lasting less than 120 minutes when used as maintenance anaesthetic agents. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital based prospective randomised study. After obtaining informed and written consent, 60 patients belonging to ASA I or II scheduled for surgery under general anaesthesia were recruited and distributed to two groups each of 30 to receive sevoflurane or desflurane for maintenance of anaesthesia after randomization with computer generated numbers. Unpaired t-test and chi-square test were used for qualitative data, ANOVA for quantitative data and MannWhitney test was used for Modified Aldrete Score (MAS). Results: The mean duration of surgery was 92.83±25.820 minutes in desflurane and 92.67±28.062 minutes in sevoflurane groups, the time for spontaneous eye opening on verbal commands was 5.17±1.48 minutes in desflurane group compared to sevoflurane group which was 8.96±1.58 minutes with mean difference of 3.79±0.1 minutes, p-value<0.001, 95% confidence interval 3.7 (2.703 to 4.953). A median MAS of 10 was attained at five minutes in desflurane group and 15 minutes in sevoflurane group, in PACU and was statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: Desflurane had faster emergence and early recovery from anaesthesia with clear-headedness than sevoflurane.

Keywords

• emergence
• eye opening
• volatile anaesthetics