Comparison of the effectiveness of the WALANT method in soft tissue and bone tissue surgeries in lower extremities

Baki Volkan Çetin; Ahmet Yiğit Kaptan; Özlem Orhan; Mehmet Akif Altay; Nuray Altay; Sedat Demir; Mehmet Demir

doi:10.52312/jdrs.2023.1025

Baki Volkan Çetin¹, Ahmet Yiğit Kaptan¹, Özlem Orhan¹, Mehmet Akif Altay¹, Nuray Altay², Sedat Demir³, Mehmet Demir³

¹Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Harran University Medicine Faculty, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
²Department of Anesthesia and Reanimation, Harran University Medicine Faculty, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye
³Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Şanlıurfa Training and Research Hospital, Şanlıurfa, Türkiye

Keywords: Local anesthesia, lower extremity, wide-awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of wide-awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet (WALANT) technique in both bony and soft tissue procedures in lower extremities.

Patients and methods: Between January 2021 and December 2022, a total of 29 patients (20 males, 9 females; mean age: 34.6±20.2 years; range, 14 to 82 years) who were operated for lower extremity pathologies with the WALANT technique in our clinic were included. The patients were divided into two groups: lower extremity soft tissue surgeries in Group A (n=10) and bone tissue surgeries in Group B (n=19). Postoperative pain onset time, pain score, the amount of intraoperative bleeding, need for additional solution, use of cautery, and the amount of bleeding in the surgical field were compared within groups. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain.

Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (p=0.265), sex (p=0.107), and surgical side (p=0.700). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative bleeding at the discretion of the surgeon (p=0.701). There was no significant difference in the use of additional solution (p=0.105), cautery usage (p=0.522), pain onset time (p=0.636), and VAS scores (p=0.735) between the two groups.

Conclusion: Our study results suggest that the WALANT technique is an effective and safe method in selected lower extremity surgeries. It is of utmost importance to apply the technique correctly to prevent complications that may occur.

Citation: Çetin BV, Kaptan AY, Orhan Ö, Altay MA, Altay N, Demir S, et al. Comparison of the effectiveness of the WALANT method in soft tissue and bone tissue surgeries in lower extremities. Jt Dis Relat Surg 2023;34(2):439-444. doi: 10.52312/jdrs.2023.1025.

Ethics Committee Approval

The study protocol was approved by the Harran University Clinical Research Ethics Committee (date: 04.01.2021, no: E-76244175-050.04.04-4549). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Author Contributions

Idea/concept, materials, writing the article, critical review, analysis and/or interpretation, literature review: B.V.Ç.; Design, writing the article, critical review, analysis and/or interpretation, literature review: A.Y.K.; Analysis and/or interpretation, critical review: Ö.O.; Control/ supervision, analysis and/or interpretation: M.A.A.; Control/ supervision, data collection and/or processing: N.A.; Materials, data collection and/or processing: S.D., M.D.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Financial Disclosure

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

Patient Consent for Publication

A written informed consent was obtained from the parents and/or legal guardians of the patients.

Data Sharing Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.