Preemptive Local Anesthesia in Ankle Arthroscopy

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Pain Management

Background:

• Complex anesthesia techniques are increasingly utilized to mitigate postoperative pain and enhance patient rehabilitation.
• Evaluating the efficacy and safety of preemptive local anesthesia combined with general or spinal anesthesia is crucial for ankle arthroscopy procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of preemptive local anesthesia when combined with general or spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing ankle arthroscopy.
• To determine the safety profile of this combined anesthesia approach.

Main Methods:

• A prospective randomized study involving 80 patients undergoing ankle anterior arthroscopy.
• Patients were divided into four groups: general anesthesia with local preemptive anesthesia, spinal anesthesia with local preemptive anesthesia, general anesthesia with placebo, and spinal anesthesia with placebo.
• Pain intensity was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) at multiple time points post-surgery, and analgesic use and adverse effects were recorded.

Main Results:

• Preemptive local anesthesia significantly reduced pain intensity in the first 24 hours post-surgery.
• Patients receiving preemptive local anesthesia required fewer additional analgesics during hospitalization.
• No significant adverse effects related to local anesthetic agents were observed, with only minor transient numbness reported in two patients.

Conclusions:

• Preemptive operative site infiltration with local anesthetics is a safe and effective method for managing pain after ankle arthroscopy.
• This approach leads to a reduction in postoperative pain intensity and decreased reliance on additional analgesics, contributing to improved patient outcomes.