Outpatient total ankle replacement

Since the development of the last generation of implants total ankle replacements (TAR) is becoming more and more popular in patients and in specialized surgeon teams, the trend for outpatient surgery is growing, and protocols now are well established for hip or knee replacement. We adapted a protocol for outpatient TAR and hypothesized that it could be performed safely as standard procedure.

Twenty-five consecutive patients among 141 TAR were treated with our outpatient protocol relying on three fundamentals: bleed control, pain control, and autonomy. They received 1 g of tranexamic acid before surgery, and after discard from post-operative care unit, they were operated under long-lasting nerve block precociously relayed by oral NSAIDs and had an immediate full weight-bearing authorization at discharge.

No patients we readmitted for an acute care following TAR, especially for haematoma or uncontrolled pain. Mean VAS was < 1 before discharge from post-operative care unit and < 2 until day 90. One patient had a delayed wound healing treated surgically at day 30 without implant revision.

Outpatient TAR is possible and safe if a risk management process is used, and the three basic principles for outpatient procedures are respected: bleed control, pain control, and patient autonomy. We consider now this modality as a routine.