A Retrospective study on Sedation and Anesthesia Practice in Ambulatory Surgery: Impact on Patient Comfort, Safety, and Recovery Time

Objective: To evaluate the impact of sedation and anesthesia practices on patient comfort, intraoperative safety, and postoperative recovery time in ambulatory surgeries. Methodology: This retrospective observational study was conducted at Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, over a 12-month period from February 2023 to January 2024. Two hundred and ten patients included if they were 18 years of age or older, underwent ambulatory (same-day discharge) surgical procedures under any form of sedation or anesthesia, and had complete perioperative documentation, including anesthesia and PACU records.. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. Chi-square test and one-way ANOVA were applied where appropriate. Results: General anesthesia was associated with longer procedure durations (62.8 ± 15.1 minutes), higher rates of hypotension (12.5%) and oxygen desaturation (8.0%), and longer recovery time (73.4 ± 16.7 minutes). In contrast, local anesthesia with sedation had the shortest recovery (42.5 ± 10.4 minutes) and highest patient satisfaction (90.6%). Statistically significant differences were found between anesthesia type and safety events, recovery duration, and satisfaction scores (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Sedation and regional techniques are safer and more efficient than general anesthesia for ambulatory surgeries, offering enhanced recovery and patient comfort. These findings support individualized and standardized anesthetic approaches in outpatient surgical care.