Preemptive multimodal analgesia facilitates same-day discharge following robot-assisted hysterectomy

We aimed to determine whether early hospital discharge following minimally invasive surgery can be achieved through the use of preemptive multimodal analgesia without compromising patient safety or comfort. Data were retrospectively collected for 150 patients who underwent robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign indications from 9 December 2009 to 6 October 2010 at Cox Health Systems (Springfield, MO, USA). One surgeon performed 100 consecutive cases with all patients receiving preemptive multimodal treatment with celecoxib and ropivacaine. These cases were compared with 50 patients treated with an opioid-based postoperative analgesia regimen by one of four other surgeons at the same center. Patient characteristics, perioperative outcomes, opioid requirement, and time to discharge were compared between groups. The patients in the multimodal group had significantly reduced opioid requirements intraoperatively (25.0 mg vs. 29.9 mg, P = 0.0077), postoperatively on the day of surgery (10.9 mg vs. 17.9 mg, P = 0.0030), and on the first postoperative day (3.1 mg vs. 15.3 mg, P = 0.0001). There were no differences in procedure time, transfusions, or readmission rates between groups. Time in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) was decreased in the multimodal group (72.0 min vs. 88.4 min, P < 0.0001), as was time to discharge from the hospital (8.5 h vs. 30.2 h, P < 0.0001). Age and body mass index were both significantly lower in the multimodal group; however, regression analyses demonstrated that analgesia regimen was the only parameter that predicted opioid requirement and time to discharge. Preemptive multimodal analgesia reduced the total dose of rescue opioids, facilitating same-day discharge without compromising patient comfort or safety.