Reynier E Pacheco Sánchez¹, Vladimir Andrés Vásquez Encalada²*, Víctor Caricabel Marín¹, Jessael Eliecer Ramírez Bateca² and Alberto Pichs Borges³

¹Doctor of Medicine, First Degree Specialist in Orthopedics and Traumatology, General Calixto Garcia University Hospital, Cuba
²Doctor of Medicine, Fourth-year Resident in Orthopedics and Traumatology, General Calixto Garcia University Hospital, Cuba
³Doctor of Medicine, Third-year Resident in Orthopedics and Traumatology, General Calixto Garcia University Hospital, Cuba

*Corresponding Author: Vladimir Andrés Vásquez Encalada, Doctor of Medicine, Fourth-year Resident in Orthopedics and Traumatology, General Calixto Garcia University Hospital, Cuba.

Received: July 10, 2023; Published: August 24, 2023

Abstract

Introduction: Ankle fractures occur relatively frequently in hospitals. The therapeutic approach is established through clinical and imaging evaluation. Conventional anesthetic methods applied in these have their inherent advantages and complications, but none exempts the use of a tourniquet if a blood-free field is to be achieved.

Objective: The work was to use the WALANT anesthetic method as an efficient alternative. 11 patients who presented ankle fractures requiring open reduction and internal fixation were operated on., from June 2021 to January 2022. For the WALANT anesthetic solution, lidocaine, bicarbonate and adrenaline mixed in 0.9% Na Chloride were used.

Results: males predominated over females, obtaining a value on the visual analogue scale (VAS) and on the numerical pain scale (NRS) of 0 in 8 patients, 2 presented slight discomfort and only one complained of pain scoring 2 points on said scales, the average bleeding volume was 19 ml. The average time per surgery was one hour, presenting a postoperative analgesia of 4 hours and the overall hospital stay was approximately 1 day. No reversal of the anesthetic method or change due to WALANT failure was required during the intraoperative period. The results obtained are encouraging to use in patients with morbidities that prevent the application of early analgesia in the surgical procedure.

Conclusions: The WALANT method constitutes a safe and reliable therapeutic alternative for ankle fracture surgery with the application of the WALANT anesthetic technique, significantly reducing anesthetic complications, intraoperative bleeding, and hospital stay.

Keywords: Ankle Fracture; Awake Patient; WALANT Technique; Local Anesthesia

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Citation

Citation: Vladimir Andrés Vásquez Encalada., et al. “Surgical Management of Ankle Fractures with the Application of the WALANT Anesthetic Technique". Acta Scientific Orthopaedics 6.9 (2023): 61-66.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Vladimir Andrés Vásquez Encalada., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.