To investigate the analgesic efficacy of artificial intelligence- patient-controlled analgesia (Ai-PCA) versus conventional analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, and to systematically analyze the differences between these two analgesic modalities in terms of pain control, analgesia-related complications, and early postoperative recovery.

This study was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 60 patients who underwent laparoscopic TAPP repair with postoperative intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) and complete medical records in the Department of Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, Peking University First Hospital Taiyuan Hospital between July 2025 and January 2026 were selected. Based on the postoperative analgesia protocol, patients were divided into an intelligent analgesia group (using an AI-PCA smart analgesia pumps, n=30) and a conventional analgesia group (using a traditional electronic PCA pumps, n=30). Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for pain and discomfort, analgesia-related complications (nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, etc.), postoperative rehabilitation indicators, and patient satisfaction were compared between the two groups.

Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the VAS scores for pain and discomfort at 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively were significantly lower in the intelligent analgesia group compared with the conventional analgesia group (Between-group F=32.15, 42.68; both P<0.05; and partial η² for between- group effects=0.358, 0.422). In the intelligent analgesia group, the overall incidence of analgesia-related complications was 13.33% (4/30), which was significantly lower than that in the conventional analgesia group (43.33%, 13/30) (P<0.05; Cramer's V=0.333). The time to first flatus, the time to first ambulation, and the length of hospital stay in the intelligent analgesia group were all significantly shorter than those in the conventional analgesia group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05; Cohen's d=1.78, 1.43, and 0.97, respectively). Patient satisfaction in the intelligent analgesia group was higher than that in the conventional analgesia group (P<0.05; Cramer's V=0.268).

The application of an intelligent analgesia system after inguinal hernia repair can effectively control postoperative pain, enhance postoperative comfort, reduce the incidence of postoperative analgesia-related complications, accelerate early patient recovery, and significantly improve patient satisfaction.