Ultrasound Blocks for the Anterior Abdominal Wall

70 | Ultrasound Blocks for the Anterior Abdominal Wall
postural hypotension, post spinal headache, prolonged motor
blockage, and administrative and social delays.
General anesthesia is associated with a significantly higher
incidence of sore throat, drowsiness, postoperative nausea and
vomiting. A higher incidence of postoperative pruritus, urinary
retention, lumbar backache and the longest time to achieve
home discharge criteria occurs after spinal anesthesia (Song
2000, Toivonen 2004). Patients who receive IIB and spinal
anesthesia have faster awakening and orientation times than
patients who receive general anesthesia.
Compared with standardized general and spinal anesthesia, IIB
has been associated with lower pain scores at discharge, less
analgesic requirement, a decreased time-to-home readiness, a
lower incidence of side effects and lower total perioperative
costs (Song 2000). Block group patients consumed more propofol
than general anesthesia patients, but less fentanyl.
In a retrospective study the use of IIB for patients undergoing
herniorrhaphy resulted in no need for recovery room care
(Yilmazlar 2006). Time to recovery and discharge criteria
achievement is significantly lower even when a selective spinal
anesthesia technique is performed (that has shorter recovery
times compared to non selective spinal anesthesia), or
subarachnoid opioid is associated (Poli 2009, Gupta 2003).