Pneumatic tourniquet use in foot and ankle surgery--is padding necessary?

The majority of foot and ankle surgery is carried out in a bloodless field achieved by the use of a pneumatic tourniquet. The risks of tourniquet use may be divided into those resulting from direct mechanical pressure from the cuff and those secondary to prolonged limb ischaemia. Current peri-operative guidelines advise the use of padding beneath the cuff, in particular to reduce skin complication.

To assess the complication rate of tourniquet use when the cuff is applied directly to the skin.

Patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery under tourniquet control without use of padding were assessed pre and post operatively for soft tissue complication, neurological deficit and post-tourniquet syndrome.

We recorded findings for 97 patients, 47 thigh and 50 ankle tourniquets. We found a complication rate of 0%. There were no cases of skin blistering, abrasion, bruising, laceration or burn.

These findings are contrary to published RCTs supporting the use of padding. Our study demonstrates the safe use of pneumatic tourniquets without padding in foot and ankle surgery.