COMPARISON BETWEEN TIVA AND INHALATIONAL ANESTHETICS, RISKS AND BENEFITS

Background: General anesthesia is administered to over 300 million individuals annually worldwide, with inhalational anesthesia (IA) and total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) being the two principal maintenance techniques. IA commonly involves the use of volatile agents like sevoflurane, desflurane, or isoflurane, whereas TIVA relies on continuous infusion of intravenous agents such as propofol. As surgical techniques evolve, it is increasingly important to assess the clinical outcomes, recovery profiles, and patient-centered metrics associated with these anesthesia modalities to inform individualized anesthetic planning. Objective: To compare postoperative complications, recovery characteristics, and patient satisfaction between TIVA and inhalational anesthesia, and to explore future implications for anesthetic practice. Methods: This cross-sectional, randomized study included 98 adult patients undergoing elective and emergency surgeries at three tertiary care hospitals. Patients were equally divided into TIVA (n=49) and IA (n=49) groups. Parameters assessed included intraoperative and postoperative complications, time to eye opening, postoperative pain scores, and overall patient satisfaction. Data were collected through structured observation and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Chi-square and independent t-tests were applied, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: TIVA resulted in a smoother recovery experience (77.8%) compared to IA (62%), with a statistically significant difference (p=0.006). Mean time to eye opening was shorter in the TIVA group (8.84 minutes) than in the IA group (9.73 minutes, p<0.001). Postoperative nausea and vomiting occurred in 22.2% of TIVA patients and 20% of IA patients (p=0.830). Mean postoperative pain scores were higher in the TIVA group (4.06) than in the IA group (3.71), showing statistical significance (p=0.0481). Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the TIVA group (77.8% vs. 62%, p=0.044). Conclusion: TIVA demonstrated superior outcomes in terms of recovery time and patient satisfaction, although it was associated with slightly higher postoperative pain scores. The choice of anesthetic technique should be tailored to patient-specific factors, surgical needs, and anesthetic expertise.