Anesthesia for groin hernia surgery

Just as surgeons disagree about which is the best type of hernia repair, anesthesiologists disagree on which is the best anesthetic. Well-known and respected clinicians have used each of the techniques to produce anesthetics that, in terms of safety and dependable, speedy discharge, would have seemed impossible 15 years ago. I have mentioned problems, some more serious than others, with each of the techniques, but they are problems that can be addressed. All of the anesthetics can produce very satisfactory conditions and outcomes if carefully, thoughtfully, and gently applied. The best results, however, can be expected when a surgeon and anesthesiologist choose one technique, as we have done with epidural anesthesia, and develop a set of practices that enable them to exploit the benefits and minimize the problems inherent in that technique.