Increasing rates of general anesthesia use in lumpectomy procedures: A 15-year trends analysis

Anesthesia methods in oncologic breast surgery have evolved with less invasive practices. The aims of this study were primarily to examine trends in anesthesia type used during lumpectomy.

We analyzed lumpectomy procedures from 2005 to 2019 using the NSQIP database. Upon defining the nadir in general anesthesia (GA) and peak in monitored anesthesia care (MAC) use as 2007, we compared patient characteristics and complications in the 2007 versus 2019 GA and MAC cohorts. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations with receipt of GA.

Of 253 545 lumpectomy patients, 191 773 (75.6%) received GA and 61 772 (24.4%) received MAC. From 2005 to 2019, GA rates increased from 66.7% to 82.5%, while MAC rates decreased from 33.3% to 17.5%. More GA patients were obese and American Society of Anesthesiologists class 3. Over time, age and body mass index (BMI) increased in both GA and MAC cohorts. Odds of receiving GA increased over time, and predictors included concurrent axillary lymph node dissection (p < 0.0001) or sentinel lymph node biopsy (p < 0.0001).

We demonstrate increasing use of GA over time for lumpectomy, which may be related to aging lumpectomy patient population with higher BMIs. We also find a strong association between use of GA and concurrent lymph node procedures.