Intravenous or inhaled induction of anesthesia in adults? An audit of preoperative patient preferences.

If given a choice, would patients prefer an inhaled or IV method of inducing anesthesia? We investigated the choice between inhaled and IV induction of anesthesia of adult patients presenting to an academic institution for ambulatory surgery. Of 240 patients audited at the preoperative visit, 212 (88%) reported anesthetic histories in which anesthesia had been induced IV and by inhalation in 203 (96%) and 5 (2%) patients, respectively, with the remaining 4 (2%) having no recall of route of the induction of anesthesia. Seventy-eight (33%) patients selected IV induction, 120 (50%) chose inhaled induction, and 42 (17%) patients were undecided.