We investigated parturients' preference for neuraxial vs general anaesthesia, while they have experienced both techniques in the past. A total of 102 parturients who underwent elective caesarean section under general or neuraxial anaesthesia at different times completed a questionnaire comparing the two techniques. According to our results, 98% vs 51% (p < 0.001) of the women saw the baby and 51% vs 29% (p = 0.003) ambulated in the neuraxial and general anaesthesia groups, respectively, within the first 24 h postoperatively. Neuraxial anaesthesia was associated with less pain assessed by the Verbal Analogue Scale (VAS) (54 ± 21 vs 72 ± 20 p < 0.001), fewer days of hospital stay (4 ± 0.5 vs 5 ± 1.5, p = 0.001) and higher satisfaction scores (77 ± 18 vs 52 ± 24, p = 0.001) vs general anaesthesia. Finally, 80% of the women would choose neuraxial anaesthesia for a future caesarean section.

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The aim of this double-blind, randomized control trial was to compare the effectiveness of intra-articular ropivacaine alone or with morphine or ketoprofen for controlling pain after arthroscopic knee surgery. One hundred fifty-six patients scheduled for elective knee arthroscopy were recruited. All patients received general anesthesia and were randomly assigned to 4 groups to receive intra-articular ropivacaine 40 mg (group R), ropivacaine 24 mg plus morphine 8 mg (group R+M), ropivacaine 36 mg plus ketoprofen 100 mg (group R+K), or normal saline (group N/S). Pain, sedation, orientation, nausea, vomiting, and urine retention were recorded at 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. Pain was evaluated by a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS). When the pain was >2, a suppository of 400 mg paracetamol plus 10 mg codeine plus 50 mg caffeine was given. Results showed that at 4 hours postoperatively, pain differed significantly among the 4 groups ( P <.001), with less pain recorded in the R+M group. Similarly, the number of suppositories administered postoperatively to the R+M group was significantly less ( P <.001) vs the other groups. Patients who received ropivacaine and morphine or normal saline had a higher incidence of nausea and vomiting vs the other groups ( P =.001 and P =.036, respectively). The combination of intra-articular ropivacaine and morphine is associated with less pain after knee arthroscopy during early recovery but with a higher incidence of nausea and vomiting. However, the addition of ketoprofen to ropivacaine provides relatively satisfactory pain relief, but with fewer side effects compared to morphine.