European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

ANAESTHETIC TECHNIQUES IN DAY CASE UROLOGICAL SURGERIES IN BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL (BSUTH), MAKURDI, NIGERIA

*Efu Me, Ogwuche Ei, Omolabake Bi and Eke Ba

ABSTRACT

Background: The global economic constraints and increasing financial awareness has led to an increase in day case surgeries because there is reduction in healthcare cost. Day case surgery also gives rise to reduction of psychological and emotional impact, reduced behavioural problems, less disruption to family life as well as opening up more bed spaces for those who may actually require them. Urological procedures are infra umbilical procedures. Anaesthesia for these procedures entails less disturbance o the respiratory system, and it is also possible to carry out most of these surgeries under regional and local anaesthesia. Methodology: A total of 52 case files of eligible patients were retrieved from the records department of Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, Nigeria, after my application to the department was approved. Relevant information were extracted from the patients’ folders and transferred into a prepared proforma for analysis. Results: Patients aged 51 years and above constituted 86.6% of the study, with those aged between 61 and 70 being 17 making up the greatest number; 32.7% of the study population. All patients were male. The greatest indication for day case surgery surveyed in this study were benign prostatic hypertrophy to rule out cancer of the prostate and prostate cancer alone. Also in the study conducted, prostate biopsy was the most common procedure performed. Hypertension was the most common co-morbidity found among these patients. All but one of the procedures were performed with either regional anaesthesia or local infiltration. Caudal epidural block was the most commonly used anaesthetic technique. Conclusion: Urological procedures being infra-umbilical are quite amenable to either regional anaesthesia or local anaesthesia. This study has demonstrated that caudal epidural block is the anaesthetic technique of choice in day case urological surgery in this facility. Local anaesthesia is next most common technique while GA is hardly used. LA and regional techniques entail fewer disturbances to the respiratory system and these were the anaesthetic techniques mostly employed in this study.

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