Extended Tourniquet Times and the Impact on Wound Healing in Foot Surgery

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of tourniquet time less than or in excess of 120 minutes on foot surgery wound healing.

A tourniquet time of over 120 minutes will not affect wound healing in foot surgery.

A retrospective comparative cohort analysis was performed on 96 patients undergoing complex hindfoot surgery in a large central teaching hospital. Fifty-five patients receiving tourniquet pressure for >120 minutes and 41 receiving <120 minutes of tourniquet pressure were identified from electronic case records. The primary outcome was surgical wound healing. Secondary outcomes were discharge date and complication rate.

There was no significant difference in reported time for wounds to heal in the <120-minute or >120-minute cohort. There were no other significant differences in secondary clinical outcomes and no significant variations in patient demographics.

This study suggests that tourniquet times from 2 to 3 hours in foot and ankle surgery with pressures up to 300 mmHg are not associated with a significant effect on wound healing.