Spinal Anesthesia is Safe and Cost-effective for Laparoscopic Appendectomy in Children: A Case-Control Study

Background: Owing to the widespread use of general anesthesia, administration of spinal anesthesia in pediatrics is not widely practiced. Yet there is ample positive evidence demonstrating its safety, effectiveness and success. Objective: The objective of this study is to demonstrate that laparoscopic appendectomies are successful under spinal anesthesia and elicit clear advantages over general anesthesia. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 77 pediatric (5-8 year old) laparoscopic appendectomies that took place in a Hospital, Chittagong, Bangladesh in 2019. Approximately half of the patients underwent spinal anesthesia while the other half underwent general anesthesia. Variables such as surgery and operation theatre times, pain score, incidence of post-surgery vomiting, analgesic usage, discharge times and hospital costs were recorded. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the data as a function of form of anesthesia. Results: The probability of vomiting when using spinal compared to general anesthesia was much lower within the first 5 hours (P < .001) and after 6 hours (P = .008) of operation. Highly significant difference (P < .001) was observed in the total costs of the procedures. A significantly higher likelihood of patients being discharged the same day of the procedure was noted if spinal anesthesia was used (P = .008). Conclusions: Spinal anesthesia is superior to general anesthesia for pediatric laparoscopic appendectomies. Patient comfort is improved through a significant decrease in vomiting. This enables more rapid hospital discharges and a significant cost saving, without compromising the outcome of the procedure.