A comparison of regional and general anaesthesia for total replacement of the hip or knee

Despite the frequency of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), controversy still remains as to whether general anaesthetic (GA) or regional anaesthetic (RA) is superior. The results of twenty-one independent randomized clinical trials, regarding the use of GA versus RA, were identified and analyzed. Pooled results showed that patients undergoing RA had shorter OR time, less need for blood transfusion, and lower incidence of thromboembolic disease.