Ankle tourniquet pain control in forefoot surgery: a randomized study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Anesthesiology
• Pain Management

Background:

• Forefoot surgery commonly uses regional anesthesia with tourniquets for a bloodless field.
• Patient comfort during tourniquet use is a key consideration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the necessity of local anesthetic infiltration beneath the tourniquet for pain control.
• To assess tourniquet tolerance in patients undergoing forefoot surgery under ankle block anesthesia.

Main Methods:

• Prospective randomized study of 56 patients undergoing forefoot surgery.
• Comparison of tourniquet pain scores (VAS) with and without local anesthetic infiltration.
• Assessment of skin condition during and after the procedure.

Main Results:

• Tourniquets were generally well-tolerated, with average VAS scores between 7 and 21.
• No significant difference in pain scores between groups was found.
• No correlation between pain scores and procedure duration, patient age, or gender.

Conclusions:

• Local anesthetic infiltration beneath the tourniquet is not necessary for forefoot surgery under ankle block.
• Ankle tourniquet use is well-tolerated without additional local anesthesia.