Abstract

Aim: We aimed to compare the effects of spinal and general anesthesia on intraoperative bleeding in patients undergoing lumbar disc surgery.
Material and Methods: Fifty patients scheduled to undergo elective single-level lumbar discectomy under spinal or general anesthesia were studied. The amount of blood loss was calculated by subtracting the wash solutions from the amount in the aspirator reservoir and evaluating bleeding in the gauze used throughout the operation. The time between the first incision and the final suture was evaluated as the surgical time.Patients’demographic data, duration of surgery, amount of fluid given intraoperatively, intraoperative hemodynamic data, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative/postoperative ephedrine requirements , postoperative nausea and vomiting and the duration of stay in PACU were evaluated.
Results: In group S, intraoperative blood loss was 203.00±108.73 ml, while in group G it was 198.00±106.40. There were no statistically difference between the groups (p=0.884). Inthe duration of surgery, amount of fluid given intraoperatively, intraoperative ephedrine requirements was compared, there wereno difference between the groups too (p=0.085, p=0.056 and 0.448, respectively).
Conclusion: In this study, it was shown that general and spinal anesthesia did not affect major parameters such as intraoperative bleeding in patients undergoing lumbar surgery.

Key words: Anesthesia; General; Spinal; Lumbar Surgery; Blood Loss.