[Comparison between total intravenous anesthesia and inhalation anesthesia in the surgery of acute cholecystitis]

We investigated retrospectively the influence of anesthetic methods on the intraoperative managements and postoperative outcomes in 26 patients receiving emergency or early surgery for acute cholecystitis. Fourteen of the 26 patients received total intravenous anesthesia with propofol, fentanyl, and ketamine (PFK group), while the remainder received nitrous oxide and isoflurane or sevoflurane anesthesia (GO group). There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to demographic data. We found no significant differences between the groups in duration of operation and anesthesia, the incidence of intraoperative hypotension, and the use of ephedrine and dopamine during induction and maintenance of anesthesia. After surgery, the PFK group had significantly earlier bowel function than the GO group, with earlier starting of oral intake (54.0 +/- 25.1 vs 89.3 +/- 31.9 hours after surgery; P = 0.026). These data suggest that total intravenous anesthesia by propofol, fentanyl, and ketamine may provide the earlier recovery of bowel function than inhaled anesthesia after emergency or early surgery for acute cholecystitis.