Complications and side effects of Wide-Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) in upper limb surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Wide-Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT), a groundbreaking anaesthetic technique resurging in practice, warrants a comprehensive safety analysis for informed adoption. Our study aimed to identify complications/side effects of WALANT upper limb procedures through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: This PROSPERO-registered study was performed with strict adherence to PRISMA guidelines. Embase, OVIDMedline, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched until February 2023. Inclusion criteria involved English articles, reporting complications/side effects in primary WALANT upper limb surgeries. Outcomes included all complications and side effects, data on the anaesthetic mixture, publication year/location, study type, and procedures performed. The meta-analysis employed the Freeman-Tukey Double Arcsine Transformation, computed I2 statistics, and utilized common or random effects models for pooled analysis. RESULTS: 2002 studies were identified; 79 studies met the inclusion criteria representing 15,595 WALANT patients. A total of 301 patients had complications, and the meta-analysis using a random effects model provided a complication rate of 1.7% (95% CI: 0.93-2.7%). The most reported complications were superficial infection (41%, n = 123/300), other/specified (12%, n = 37/300), and recurrent disease (6.7%, n = 20/300). A decade-by-decade analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in complication rates spanning the last three decades (p = 0.42). Adding sodium bicarbonate to the anaesthetic solution significantly reduced postoperative complications (p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: WALANT has a low overall complication rate of 1.7%, with no significant temporal variation and a significant reduction in complications when sodium bicarbonate is added to the anaesthetic solution. Our findings support the safety of WALANT in upper limb procedures. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42023404018.

Prospective analysis of glucose metabolism in patients with hand infection.

BACKGROUND: Type-2 diabetes influences the course and severity of hand infections. METHODS: We prospectively examined glucose metabolism in 90 patients with hand infection, distinguishing between normal, prediabetic and diabetic states. HbA1c-levels were evaluated prior to surgery. Patients with normal levels took an oral glucose tolerance test and those diagnosed with prediabetes were retested after the infection subsided. Hospital stay, number of surgical interventions and inflammatory markers were examined per group. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients (68.8%) had abnormal glucose metabolism: 17 (18.9%) with history of diabetes and 11 (12.2%) newly diagnosed. Prediabetes was observed in 34 patients (37.8%). At follow-up, prediabetes and diabetes were diagnosed in 7 cases each, and physiological glucose metabolism was observed in 3 patients. For the 11 patients unable to undergo a second oral glucose tolerance test, detailed phone calls confirmed absence of diabetes. C-reactive protein levels were significantly elevated in diabetic patients compared to those with normal glucose metabolism (p = 0.001) or prediabetes (p = 0.034). Patients with history of diabetes were significantly older than those with normal glucose tolerance (p = 0.001) or prediabetes (p = 0.017). There were no significant intergroup differences in thrombocyte count, length of hospital stay, interval from injury to admission or the number surgical interventions. CONCLUSION: Glucose metabolism should be assessed in patients with hand infections and reassessed after the infection has subsided in prediabetic cases.

Isolated Trapezoid Fracture in Adolescent Goalkeepers: A Scoping Review of the Literature and a Report of Two Cases.

Purpose: Isolated trapezoid fractures are rare injuries, particularly among adolescents, constituting only 0.4% of all carpal bone fractures. This study aims to present two cases of isolated trapezoid fracture in adolescent goalkeepers and a scoping review of the literature to provide guidelines for the management of this injury. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a scoping review of reported cases was conducted. Two hundred and twenty articles were found using PubMed and Google Scholar. After full-text review, a total of 30 cases from 22 articles along with our 2 cases were analyzed based on demographics, injury mechanism, method/timing of diagnosis, prognosis, and time to recovery. Results: Thirty-two reported cases of trapezoid fractures with a mean age of 26.7 years (75% male) were found, with pain as the most common presenting symptom. A majority (78%) had initial negative findings on radiography, and the diagnosis was primarily established through computed tomography (59%; n = 19) or magnetic resonance imaging (50%; n = 16). There was a substantial delay in diagnosis (mean 26 days), primarily because computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging was frequently ordered late. The majority of cases (78%) were managed conservatively, with immobilization periods ranging from 4 to 12 weeks. The average duration for full recovery was 4.5 months, with operative management taking 7.3 months and conservative management taking 3.5 months. Conclusion: Trapezoid fractures, though rare, are often not promptly diagnosed on initial plain radiographs, leading to a potential underreporting of cases. Because of the risk of complications associated with this type of injury, clinicians should maintain a high level of vigilance and consider trapezoid fracture as a possible differential diagnosis when presented with carpal pain, swelling, or limited movement, particularly after axial load incidents. Further research and guidelines are needed to enhance our understanding and management of this uncommon injury in the future. Type of study/level of evidence: Differential diagnosis/symptom prevalence IIIb.

Effectiveness of supervised physiotherapy versus a home exercise program in patients with distal radius fracture: a randomized controlled trial with a 2-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To determine in the long term whether supervised physiotherapy is more effective than a home exercise program for functional improvement and pain relief in patients with distal radius fracture (DRF). DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 74 patients older than 60 years with extra-articular DRF were randomly allocated into two groups. INTERVENTIONS: The experimental group received 6 weeks of supervised physiotherapy (n = 37) and the control group received 6 weeks of home exercise program (n = 37). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was wrist/hand function assessed using the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) questionnaire; secondary outcomes were the pain visual analogue scale (VAS), grip strength and wrist flexion-extension active range of motion. RESULTS: All patients completed the trial. For the primary outcome, at 6-weeks and 1-year follow-up, the PRWE questionnaire showed a mean difference between groups of 18.6 (95% CI 12.8 to 24.3) and 18.5 points (95% CI 12.7 to 24.2) respectively, these differences are clinically important. Conversely, at 2-year follow-up this effect decreases to 3.3 points (95% CI -2.4 to 9.0). For secondary outcomes, at 6-weeks and 1-year follow-up, in all measurements the effect size range from medium to large. Conversely, at 2-year follow-up only grip strength showed large effect size in favor of supervised physiotherapy, the rest of outcomes did not show difference between groups. CONCLUSION: At the 6-week and 1-year follow-up, supervised physiotherapy was more effective for functional improvement and pain relief compared with a home exercise program in patients older than 60 years with extra-articular DRF. However, this effect decreases over time, at the 2-year follow-up, only grip strength showed a difference in favor of supervised physiotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian registry of clinical trials UTN no. U1111- 1249-2492. Registered 17 March 2020. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER.

Revisions after trapeziometacarpal joint resection arthroplasty: A systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic literature review was to describe current indications and interventions for revisions after trapeziometacarpal joint (TMJ) resection arthroplasty. METHODS: The literature search was conducted by an experienced librarian in the Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus databases. We included all articles that investigated any TMJ arthroplasty procedure in which the trapezium was completely resected and if any subsequent revision procedure including joint-related and soft-tissue surgeries was mentioned. Two independent reviewers selected the articles and were involved in data extraction. RESULTS: Sixty-two articles reporting on 5,284 operated thumbs and 434 revision surgeries were included. We extracted 24 indications for revision and 31 revision techniques. Most revisions were performed because of subsidence/impingement of the first metacarpal bone (n=194 thumbs) followed by unspecified pain (n=53), metacarpophalangeal joint problems (n=28) and scaphotrapezoidal osteoarthritis (n=17). Eleven treatment strategies were found for subsidence/impingement of the first metacarpal, the most frequent being revision of the existing interposition using autologous tendon (n=46) and soft tissue interposition with distraction pinning (n=28). CONCLUSIONS: There are a wide variety of indications and even more surgical techniques described in the literature to treat persisting or recurrent pain after TMJ resection arthroplasty. Currently, there is no uniform treatment guideline available how to diagnose and treat such cases. Therefore, the results of this literature review will form the basis for a Delphi study aiming to develop recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of persistent / recurrent pain after TMJ resection arthroplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

DYNEELAX Robotic Arthrometer Reliability and Feasibility on Healthy and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injured/Reconstructed Persons.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are commonly assessed using clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging, but these methods have limitations in reproducibility and quantification. Instrumented laxity measurements using devices, like the DYNEELAX®, offer an alternative approach. However, to date, there is no human data on the DYNEELAX® and the reliability of these devices remains a subject of debate, and there is no consensus on appropriate knee tightening levels for testing. We hypothesized that the DYNEELAX®, with standardized knee tightening, would provide reliable measurements of knee laxity in adult volunteers. Methods: This prospective cohort study involved 48 pain-free adult volunteers. Laxity measurements were taken using a robotic-type motorized instrument (DYNEELAX®) on two separate occasions, at least 1 h and no more than 8 h apart, with knee tightening forces of 90 N ± 5 N. Metrics of anterior tibial translation and internal/external tibial axial rotations were recorded. Results: The device displayed excellent intrarater reliability for all the metrics, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.91 to 0.96. Anterior translation exhibited the highest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96), with a minimum detectable change of 0.83 mm. Conclusions: DYNEELAX® is reliable in measuring knee laxity in adult volunteers when using standardized stabilizing knee tightening forces of 90 ± 5 N. The most sensitive measurement parameters (in terms of minimum detectable change as a proportion of the observed range) were anterior translation (in mm) at 150 N and secondary compliance.

Diagnostic and treatment recommendations for recurrent or persistent symptoms after trapeziectomy: a Delphi study.

The aim of this Delphi study was to provide a diagnostic and treatment algorithm for patients with persistent or recurrent symptoms after trapeziometacarpal joint resection arthroplasty. Three Delphi rounds were conducted in which surveys were sent to 182 experienced hand surgeons worldwide. Responses were received from 140 participants. A consensus threshold was set at 67% agreement. Diagnostic tools and treatment approaches for six common revision scenarios achieved consensus. Radiographs are appropriate as primary (97%) and CT scans as secondary (76%) diagnostic tools. For scaphometacarpal impingement, 67% of respondents agreed that revision interposition is appropriate, with 93% recommending autologous tendon for the interposition. Additional suspension was considered appropriate by 68% of the participants. The diagnostic and treatment algorithm can help the surgeon to identify the reason for persistent symptoms after trapeziometacarpal joint resection arthroplasty and to choose an appropriate treatment strategy.Level of evidence: V.

Tremor Induced by Focal Peripheral Nerve Entrapment: A Case Series.

Little is known about tremors caused by peripheral nerve entrapment. We report two cases of tremors caused by peripheral nerve compressions. Two patients presented with intentional tremors combined with peripheral nerve compression symptoms on their affected hand. Based on the clinical findings and evaluations, the first patient was diagnosed with double-crush compression of the ulnar nerve at the cubital tunnel and Guyon canal, and the second patient was diagnosed with lacertus syndrome. The first patient underwent surgical release of the cubital tunnel and Guyon canal in two stages. The second patient underwent release of the lacertus fibrosus. At the 1-month follow-up after surgery, the tremors had completely resolved, and neurological symptoms improved. Peripheral nerve entrapment should be considered a potential cause of tremors in patients with tremors combined with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Surgical release can be curative.