A comparison of ankle block and spinal anesthesia for foot surgery

Regional anesthesia methods in the lower extremity include central blocks where spinal and epidural anesthesia are performed as well as peripheral nerve blocks, which are performed by injecting anesthetics locally to nerves. The study aimed to provide a retrospective comparison of unilateral spinal block and ankle block methods in foot operations. Some 60 ASA I-III patients who underwent operation under regional anesthesia were retrospectively examined. Two groups, known as the Unilateral Spinal Block Group (Group S) (n=30) and the Ankle Block Group (Group A) (n=30), were designed. Average blood pressure (ABP), heart rate (HR), block formation time (BFT), time for being ready for operation (TBRFO), total operation duration (TOD), visual analogue scale (VAS), first analgesic need time (FANT) and any complications were all recorded. The BFTs were longer in Group A than Group S, while the FANTs were longer in Group A postoperatively. When these decreases in Group A and Group S were compared with the basal values before the block, all decreases in Group S following the block were considered statistically significant (P<0.05), while the decreases in Group A in the 5(th) and 15(th) minutes were not considered statistically significant. The VASs measured postoperatively at the 6(th), 12(th) and 24(th) hours of Group A were lower than those of Group S (P≤0.05). Despite the longer block formation, the ankle block is safer when compared to the spinal anesthesia, which involves risky hemodynamic changes in patients with associated diseases.