Outpatient carpal tunnel decompression without tourniquet: a simple local anaesthetic technique

Carpal tunnel release was performed under local anaesthesia in 108 wrists of 98 patients. The local anaesthetic (bupivacaine 0.5% and adrenaline) was injected into the subcutaneous tissue down to the flexor retinaculum in the line of the incision. The median nerve was not anaesthetised. No tourniquet was required and analgesia was complete in all but four patients, who complained of some minor discomfort on cutting the flexor retinaculum. Protracted postoperative analgesia was obtained.