Postoperative Pain After Breast Surgery Under Tumescent Local Anaesthesia Versus General Anaesthesia ( TLA-001 )

The primary endpoint is the recording of postoperative pain. Pain will be measured on 1.-3. postoperative day using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The VAS consists of a 10cm line, with two end points representing 0 ('no pain') and 10 ('pain as bad as it could possibly be').

Additionally, the postoperative pain will be assessed using the VAS at the post-operative follow-up consultation, which usually takes place 2-5 weeks after surgery.

The outcome measure for Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in this study utilizes the Breast-Q questionnaire specific to breast cancer (BCT/Mastectomy). Preoperative assessments are conducted during the recruitment phase following participants' consent, providing baseline HRQoL data. Postoperative evaluations occur 2-5 weeks after the surgery during follow-up discussions, capturing changes in HRQoL in the immediate aftermath of the mastectomy and informing the study about the impact of the surgical intervention on participants' quality of life.

The outcome measure for postoperative pain medication requirements includes the assessment of administered pain medications, encompassing anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and non-opioid analgesics.

Patient's medical records will be examined to identify the pain medications administered postoperatively. The administered pain medications will then be categorized into anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and non-opioid analgesics. The total dosage of each type of pain medication administered will be calculated until hospital dischanrge. To evaluate the effectiveness of the administered pain medications in managing postoperative pain, pain assessment tool (Visual Analog Scale) will be used to measure pain intensity (2-3x daily for exercise and rest). On the first postoperative day, patients also receive the standardized QUIPS pain questionnaire consisting of 16 questions pain assesement after operation.

Complications in the study will be recorded during the hospital stay and post-operative follow-up, using the Clavien- Dindo classification system to categorize and assess their severity, contributing vital insights into the safety and efficacy of the surgical intervention.

The "length of hospital stay" refers to the time elapsed from a patient's admission to their discharge.

In the current clinical study, the duration of surgery, measured as the time from incision to wound closure, will be meticulously recorded using precise timekeeping instruments. This involves capturing the elapsed time from the moment the surgical incision is made to the point when the wound is closed.

The drainage delivery rate will be assessed by measuring the volume of fluid collected by the drainage system until the point of discharge. This involves tracking the total volume in milliliters (ml) accumulated over the entire duration of drainage until the patient is discharged.

An additional outcome criterion is whether there is a R1 situation with subsequent surgery, answered yes/no.

The secondary outcome criterion, "preoperative fear of surgery and anesthesia," will be assessed using the APAIS (Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale) questionnaire and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10. The APAIS questionnaire consists of multiple items measuring anxiety and information desire related to surgery and anesthesia, with higher scores indicating greater preoperative fear. The Visual Analog Scale, ranging from 0 (no fear) to 10 (extreme fear), allows participants to subjectively rate their apprehension, providing a numerical representation of the intensity of preoperative fear.

The costs of breast surgery conducted under general anesthesia versus local anesthesia serve as a crucial outcome criterion in the clinical study. This assessment involves comparing the overall expenses associated with each anesthesia method, including anesthesia administration, recovery, and potential complications, to determine the economic implications and cost-effectiveness of the two approaches in the context of breast surgery.

The satisfaction of the surgeon with the course of the operation will be measured on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 represents not satisfied at all and 10 signifies extreme satisfaction.