Comparison of the Quality of Recovery-15 score in patients undergoing oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery under monitored anesthesia care versus general anesthesia: a prospective quality improvement study

Purpose Whether changing the institutional practice from general anesthesia (GA) to monitored anesthesia care (MAC) affects postoperative quality of recovery for oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is currently unknown. We designed this quasi-experimental study to evaluate a quality improvement (QI) initiative instituted in Edmonton, AB, Canada. Methods We chose a prospective controlled cohort study design for this QI study, where patients underwent oncoplastic BCS under MAC in one hospital and BCS under GA at another hospital (control). A total of 125 patients undergoing surgery between May 2021 and February 2022 were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were male sex, total mastectomy, or age under 18. All other patients were included. The primary outcome was the change in Quality of Recovery-15 score at 24 hr compared with a preoperative baseline. Secondary outcomes included intra- and postoperative time profiles, perioperative analgesic and antiemetic use and length of hospital stay. Statistical analysis included a propensity score analysis to account for confounding variables. Results Sixty-four patients received GA and 61 MAC. No enrolled patients were lost to follow up but two were excluded secondarily. No patients receiving MAC needed conversion to GA or unplanned airway management. Monitored anesthesia care was associated with superior outcomes for the primary outcome (b/SE[b], 3.31; 99.5% confidence interval, 0.45 to 6.17; P = 0.001) and most secondary outcomes, when accounting for confounding factors. Conclusions A care transformation initiative for patients undergoing oncoplastic BCS under MAC was associated with a higher quality recovery profile and shorter length of stay without any increase in perioperative or postoperative adverse events.