Postoperative Recovery Time in Inguinal Herniotomy Under Ilioinguinal/Iliohypogastric Block and Sedation Versus General Anesthesia: A Retrospective Propensity-Score Matched Study

Background Associated advantages of ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric block and sedation versus general anesthesia (GA) for inguinal hernia repair have not been reported. The use of regional anesthesia (RA) is advantageous during the COVID-19 pandemic as it eliminates the need for airway manipulation.This study aimed to determine the association between postoperative recovery time when ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric block and sedation were utilized for inguinal hernia versus GA. Method This single-center retrospective study used multivariable logistic regression to model the anesthetic modality as a function of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, major comorbidities to generate a propensity score for each patient for matching. Results After screening 295 patients, 80 patients each in the general and regional anesthesia groups were matched.RA was associated with a 35.6 minutes (95% CI: -46.6 to -25.0) shorter total postoperative recovery time when compared to GA without the increased preoperative time and adverse outcomes. Conclusions Inguinal hernia repair, when performed under ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric block and sedation, was associated with reduced postoperative recovery time. This can be advantageous during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the risk of aerosol generation and shorten hospital stay. Future research can focus on establishing a causal relationship.