Hospital Charges and Practice Patterns for General and Regional Anesthesia in Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair.

Background: Anesthetic use for arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction may display variability in hospital charges and utilization in the United States.

Purpose: To evaluate practice patterns and hospital charges for anesthesia in arthroscopic ACL reconstruction.

Study Type: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: The PearlDiver Patient Records Database, a national database of insurance billing records, was searched using the current procedural terminology (CPT) codes for arthroscopic ACL reconstruction in combination with different types of anesthesia. The search included the years between 2004 and 2009. Age, sex, number of procedures performed, geographic region, and hospital charges for each type of anesthesia were recorded and compared. Anesthetic types were categorized as general anesthesia (GA) only, GA with concomitant single femoral injection, GA with concomitant other regional anesthesia (RA), single femoral injection only, or other RA only.

Results: Between 2004 and 2009, a total of 53,968 arthroscopic reconstructive procedures were identified. The mean per patient hospital charge for GA alone, GA in combination with single femoral injection, GA in combination with other RA, single femoral injection alone, and RA alone was $1065 (63% of cases), $1614 (29%), $1849 (4%), $630 (3%), and $612 (1%), respectively. The use of GA in combination with RA or single femoral nerve injection significantly increased during this time period (P = .004 and P < .001, respectively).

Conclusion: The mean per patient hospital charges for arthroscopic ACL reconstruction varied with the mode of anesthesia utilized, where regional anesthetic techniques alone were least expensive. RA alone was utilized infrequently, and there was a significant increase in the rate of utilization of GA in combination with any form of RA.

Clinical Relevance: This study provides information on current trends and hospital charges for anesthesia in arthroscopic ACL reconstruction.