[Laparoscopic surgery of varicocele. Role of total endovenous anesthesia in same-day discharge].

The success of out-patients laparoscopic surgery depends on a careful selection of patients and the ability of anesthetic technique to ensure a rapid emergence from anesthesia, with a satisfactory control of postoperative pain and the absence of side effects. This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of a total intravenous anesthetic management on the recovery process after laparoscopic varicocelectomy. Fifty-three ASA 1 patients aged 12-41 yrs (mean 26.02) scheduled to undergo laparoscopic varicocelectomy as day surgery procedure were included in this study. Propofol was used as inductor agent and in variable-rate infusion (170-100 mcg/Kg/min) to maintain anesthesia supplemented with Fentanyl (FNT) before endotracheal intubation, incision surgery and if the patient manifested clinical signs of inadequate analgesia. Local anesthesia was infiltrated into the skin before incision. Tramadol 100 mg and Ketorolac 30 mg were administered before the end of surgery to delay the onset of the postoperative pain. Pain was evaluated using a self-rating visual analoque scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10 at 0-0.5 hrs postoperatively and every 2 hrs until discharge. At the same time nausea was clinically evaluated using a scale ranging from 0 to 3. Postoperative pain and nausea (PONV) treatment were standardized. Patients were discharged by Post-Anesthesia Discharge Scoring System (PADS). Mean operating time was 34.2 min and mean estubation time was 11.6 min. At time 0 all patients had VAS pain score < 3, on the same time 2 of patients was treated for mild PONV; mean time to first request for postoperative analgesia treatment in 89% of patients was more than 6 hrs, 5 patients required pain treatment before discharge in a mean time 216' +/- 156'. Using the PADS system, 64% of patients were discharged at 4 hrs and 89% at 6 hrs after surgery. One patient was admitted to hospital for an overnight stay for walking dizziness; another was readmitted for surgical complications. This results suggest that the proposed anesthetic management provided adequate pain control with minimun postoperative nausea and a good recovery rate. This permitted a short postoperative hospital stay without compromising in safety, efficacy, or patient satisfaction.