Rapid recovery is a highly desirable objective of anaesthesia. Extended recovery time from general anaesthesia may lead to severe complications like hypoxemia, hypercarbia, hypoventilation, etc. Recovery time is influenced by patient factors, anaesthetic agents used, and surgical factors.

Inhalational anaesthesia is the most popular form of anaesthesia used since it is easy to administer and can be rapidly titrated. But these anaesthetic gases used pose a threat as they are potent greenhouse gases that can contaminate the air and contribute to the greenhouse effect. The sole modality that completely eliminates the use of anaesthetic gases is total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA). 

The increased popularity of TIVA can be attributed to pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of short acting drugs like propofol and remifentanil. Propofol can be administered through target controlled infusion (TCI) with precise concentration using Marsh or Schnider pharmacokinetic models. TCI involves automated intravenous drug administration that regulates drug delivery rates to achieve desired target plasma concentration (Cp) or at effect site concentration (Ce). TCI offers several advantages over conventional inhalational anaesthesia, including better post operative recovery, stable hemodynamics, a reduced rate of post-operative nausea and vomiting.

Hence, the current study is designed to compare two standard techniques of anaesthesia, that is, ‘TIVA via TCI’ and ‘inhalational anaesthesia’, while maintaining bispectral index (BIS) value between 40-60, in patients undergoing retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS).