Introduction: The effect of mode of anaesthesia in emergency surgery is uncertain. This scoping review will identify and summarise the evidence for local, regional or general anaesthetic in adult patients undergoing emergency surgical procedures.
Methods and analysis: Scoping review methodology will be followed. The search will be run in EMBASE and Medline. Further articles will be identified from searching references in relevant studies. A descriptive analysis will be performed considering the following main outcomes; mortality, length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, postoperative pain and morbidity. Data on complications including acute coronary syndrome, stroke, thromboembolic events, delirium, acute kidney injury, respiratory tract infection, surgical site infection and study-specific additional outcomes will also be collected.
Ethics and dissemination: No ethics approval is required. The results will be used to inform a funding application for a clinical trial comparing local/regional anaesthetic with general anaesthetic. The study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed manuscript and conferences.
Trial registration number: Results will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Statement. There are currently no registries that accept scoping reviews.
Keywords: anaesthetics; protocols and guidelines; surgery.
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