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REGIONAL ANESTHESIA

A Survey of Orthopedic Surgeons’ Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Regional Anesthesia

Department of Anaesthesia, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Address correspondence to Colin McCartney, FRCA, Department of Anesthesia, Toronto Western Hospital, EC2-046, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada. Address e-mail to colin.mccartney{at}uhn.on.ca Reprints will not be available from the authors.

We conducted a survey to explore the surgical attitudes and preferences regarding regional anesthesia among Canadian orthopedic surgeons. Surveys were returned by 468 (61%) of 768 surgeons. Forty-eight percent of respondents directed their patients’ choice of anesthetic. Forty percent of surgeons directed their patients to choose regional anesthesia. The principal reasons for favoring regional anesthesia were less postoperative pain (32%), decreased nausea and vomiting (12%), and safety (14%). Reasons for not favoring regional anesthesia were delays in the induction of anesthesia (43%) and an unpredictable success rate (12%). This survey suggests that orthopedic surgeons are supportive of regional anesthesia. Barriers to increased popularity include perceived delays and unreliability.

IMPLICATIONS: Orthopedic surgeons understand the benefits of and are supportive of the use of regional anesthesia in their practices. Barriers to increased popularity include perceived operating room delays and lack of reliability.

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