Propofol based total intravenous anesthesia versus sevoflurane based inhalation anesthesia: The postoperative characteristics in oral and maxillofacial surgery

Objective Total intravenous anesthesia and inhalation/volatile anesthesia are the main general anesthesia procedures used in all surgical applications. The aim of this study was to compare sevoflurane anesthesia and total intravenous anesthesia with propofol in terms of postoperative complications, especially after oral and maxillofacial surgeries. Material and methods Each patient was taken to the recovery room following extubation, and the pulse rate, non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) and oxygen saturation were monitored. Presence of hypoxia, tachycardia, bradycardia, hypertension and hypotension were determined as vital sign complications. Results The risk of complications related to vital functions were low for both anesthesia methods, and no statistically significant difference between the groups. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was found to be significantly higher in the patients undergoing both major (p = 0.011) and minor (p = 0.021) surgeries in the IA-S group. The recovery time was found to be significantly longer in the TIVA-P group compared to the IA-S group in the patients undergoing both major (p = 0.026) and minor surgery (p = 0.018). Conclusion TIVA and IA methods, which are considered safe in terms of vital signs, should be preferred according to patient characteristics. Despite the fact that inhaled anesthetics require PONV premedication for long term interventions, we believe that they could be preferred due to shorter recovery time compared to intravenous anesthetics.