Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Popliteal Sciatic Block Properties in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Patients

We aim to share our popliteal sciatic nerve block (PSB) experience, which we applied to diabetic and nondiabetic patients in the operating room of our hospital.

The patients who underwent PSB for foot and ankle surgery between October 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, in Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital were evaluated retrospectively. All nerve blocks were administered by a single anesthesiologist. Demographic data of the patients and the duration of the operation, the type of operation, the time of application of the nerve block, whether it was single or bifurcation block, and the onset times of motor and sensory block were also recorded in the perioperative period.

It was determined that PSB was applied to 49 patients over a 3-month period. The mean age of the patients was 61.33 ± 14.03 years, and 12 patients (24.5%) were women. The reason why the patients were operated on was amputation in 21 (42.9%) and wound debridement in 27 (55.1%). There were 37 patients in the diabetic group and 12 patients in the nondiabetic group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic data and operation characteristics, but it was observed that there was a significant difference in both sensory and motor block formation times between the two groups (P < .001).

In conclusion, we think that popliteal sciatic nerve block is easy to apply, the complication rate is low, and it is a suitable anesthesia method for patients who will undergo day surgery for foot ulcer.