[Patient satisfaction with anesthetic care monitored during phacoemulsification]

To assess satisfaction with anesthesia during cataract surgery, as a quality indicator for such surgery.

Patients undergoing cataract surgery with topical and intracameral anesthesia were studied prospectively. We analyzed patient characteristics, physical status, postoperative pain, duration of surgery, administration of an intraoperative sedative, systemic complications, and satisfaction on the Iowa Satisfaction with Anesthesia Scale (ISAS). For patients operated on both eyes, the ISAS score in the first (ISAS1) and second (ISAS2) interventions were compared.

A total of 233 patients were included in the study; 36 of them (15.5%) had ISAS scores of less than 5.4. The median ISAS score was 6.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 5.6-6.0). In the 71 patients operated on both eyes, the ISAS1 score was significantly lower than the ISAS2 score. Ten patients (4.3%) had visual analog scores of 3 or more in the postoperative period. Complications developed in 2.9% of the procedures (9/304). The median duration of surgery was 9 minutes (IQR, 8-10 minutes). Postoperative pain was the only factor that predicted a lower level of satisfaction.

Pain is common during phacoemulsification and is the main cause of patient dissatisfaction with anesthetic care.