Anaesthesia for Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is commonly done with total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) or balanced anaesthesia using intravenous and an inhalation agent. It is still unclear which anaesthesia regimen is better for this group of patients. The present study was carried out to compare the use of inhalation anaesthesia technique using desflurane and TIVA using propofol and dexmedetomidine. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was carried out on 100 morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. The patients were randomized into two equal groups, inhalational group and TIVA group for anaesthesia maintenance. All patients received general anaesthesia and induced with propofol, remifentanil and cis-atracurium. In inhalation group, anaesthesia was maintained by desflurane in oxygen air mixture while in TIVA group anaesthesia was maintained by intravenous propofol and dexmedetomidine infusion. Intra-operative vital signs and anaesthesia recovery time were recorded. Post-operative nausea, vomiting, pain score, analgesic consumption, the onset of bowel movement, and post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU) stay were studied for both groups.