Comparison of the Cost and Efficacy of Axillary Anesthesia and Wide-Awake Anesthesia in Finger Surgeries.

OBJECTIVES: Wide-awake anesthesia is a type of local anesthesia consisting of a combined application of lidocaine, epinephrine, and bicarbonate and has a wide potential in hand surgery as it offers the advantage of being applied without sedation and without using a tourniquet. In light of recent studies, its use has increased with the disappearance of the belief among surgeons that epinephrine can cause circulatory disturbance in fingers. METHODS: Patients with finger pathologies who were operated upon at the Baltalimani Bone Diseases Teaching and Research Hospital between January 2015 and February 2016 were divided into two groups according to anesthesia type: wide-awake anesthesia and axillary block anesthesia, with 52 patients in each group. Start time of surgery, length of hospital stay, anesthesia cost, and patient satisfaction were compared. For the evaluation of patient satisfaction, the patients were postoperatively asked whether they would accept the same anesthesia method if they had to have the same experience. Each group was further divided into two subgroups: bone interventions (phalangeal fracture, bone biopsy, implant removal, and interphalangeal joint arthrodesis) and soft tissue interventions (digital nerve repair, fingertip local skin flap, flap division, releasing stiff joint, ligament repair, and debridment). Each subgroup included 26 patients. RESULTS: Sufficient anesthesia to cover the whole duration of surgery was achieved in both the groups. Regarding the question "If you were experiencing the same experience, would you accept the same anesthesia again?" 26 and 33 patients responded positively, 16 and 7 patients repsonded negatively, and 10 and 12 patients remained neutral in the axillary block and wide-awake anesthesia groups, respectively. According to the Social Security Institution data, the average anesthesia cost was 316.1 TL in the axillary block anesthesia group and 25.3 TL in the wide-awake anesthesia group; the average length of hospital stay was 32.9 h in the former and 13.6 h in the latter. Start time of surgery was 34 minutes in axillary block anesthesia and 5.3 minutes in wide-awake anesthesia. CONCLUSION: We found that compared with axillary block anesthesia, the length of hospital stay was 19.3 h less and anesthesia cost was 290.8 TL less with wide-awake anesthesia; furthermore, the start time of surgery decreased by 29.7 min with the latter. Moreover, patient satisfaction rate was better in the wide-awake anesthesia group. No bleeding, patient incompatibility, and other complications that might interfere with the surgery were detected .

Surgical treatment results for dupuytren's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To present the results of our cases of Dupuytren's disease treated with regional selective fasciectomy in light of the literature. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with Dupuytren's contracture and surgically treated with regional selective fasciectomy at our institution with adequate follow-up data were included in the study. All patients were routinely followed after surgery to assess results and complications. QuickDASH scoring was used to evaluate the patients and recurrences and complications were recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-one hands of 19 patients (13 males, 6 females) who underwent surgery and received adequate follow-up were retrospectively evaluated. Mean patient age was 65.8 (range: 41 to 86) and the mean follow-up period was 48.2 months (range: 24 to 86). Fourteen (66.6%) hands had excellent results, five (23%) hands had good results and two (9.4%) had fair results. The mean QuickDASH score for the patients at the final follow-up was 6.58 (range: 0 to 20.4). CONCLUSION: Our study results demonstrated that regional selective fasciectomy is a reliable and efficient method to treat Dupuytren's disease with low rates of complications and recurrence and the technique can be considered the gold standard. Level of Evidence IV, Case Series.

OBJETIVO: Apresentar os resultados de nossos casos de doença de Dupuytren tratados com fasciotomia seletiva regional, à luz da literatura. MÉTODOS: Os pacientes diagnosticados com contratura de Dupuytren e tratados cirurgicamente com fasciotomia seletiva regional em nossa instituição que tinham dados de acompanhamento adequados foram incluídos no estudo. Todos os pacientes foram rotineiramente acompanhados após a cirurgia para avaliação dos resultados e das complicações. Foi utilizada a pontuação QuickDASH na avaliação dos pacientes e as recorrências e complicações foram registradas. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliadas retrospectivamente vinte e uma mãos de 19 pacientes (13 homens, 6 mulheres) submetidos à cirurgia e acompanhados adequadamente. A média de idade dos pacientes foi de 65,8 (intervalo: 41 a 86) e o período médio de seguimento foi 48,2 meses (intervalo: 24 a 86). Quatorze (66,6%) mãos tiveram excelentes resultados, enquanto cinco (23%) mãos tiveram bons e duas (9,4%) tiveram resultados moderados. A pontuação média no QuickDASH dos pacientes no seguimento final foi de 6,58 (intervalo: 0 a 20,4). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados do nosso estudo demonstraram que a fasciotomia seletiva regional é um método confiável e eficiente, com baixas taxas de complicação e recorrência no tratamento da doença de Dupuytren e a técnica pode ser considerada o padrão-ouro. Nível de Evidência IV, Série de Casos.

The effect of 2 different surgical methods on intracompartmental pressure value in tibial shaft fracture: An experimental study in a rabbit model.

BACKGROUND: Intracompartmental pressure (ICP) monitoring is a widely used modality, particularly after intramedullary nailing of tibial shaft fractures. It was hypothesized that ICP value in fracture fixed with Ilizarov circular fixator (ICF) might be lower than in fracture fixed with intramedullary pin (IMP). The present study is a comparison of ICP value in tibial fractures in a rabbit model fixed with ICF and IMP. METHODS: Twenty male New Zealand White rabbits were randomly divided into 2 groups of equal size: ICF group (Group 1) and IMP group (Group 2). Under anesthesia, half of proximal part of the right tibia of all rabbits was fractured. Tibial fractures were fixed with ICF in Group 1 and IMP in Group 2. ICP values were monitored at 6-hour intervals for 48 hours. RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference in ICP value between groups (p<0.001). While there was statistically significant increase in ICP values 24 hours post surgery, there was statistically significant decrease during second 24 hours following surgery. Most importantly, ICP values of ICF group were significantly lower than those of IMP group at 30, 36, and 42 hours post surgery (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: At 24th hour after fixation, ICP values measured in ICF group were lower compared with those of IMP group. These results indicate that use of ICF in tibial fractures provides additional decompression in the anterior compartment. In light of these findings, ICF may be preferable for treatment of tibial fractures with high risk for compartment syndrome.

Will a single periarticular lidocaine-corticosteroid injection improve the clinical efficacy of intraarticular hyaluronic acid treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis?

PURPOSE: A local injection of corticosteroid-lidocaine into the periarticular soft tissue structures is used commonly for rapid pain relief. It is hypothesized that knee pain associated with knee osteoarthritis would be relieved quickly and effectively in patients receiving intraarticular hyaluronic acid combined with a periarticular lidocaine-corticosteroid injection. To test this hypothesis, the clinical effect of the combined treatment with hyaluronic acid injection alone in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis as compared in this prospective single-blinded randomized trial. METHODS: This study included 70 patients. Group 1 (n = 35) received intraarticular hyaluronic acid injections only, whereas group 2 (n = 35) received intraarticular hyaluronic acid injections combined with a single local injection of corticosteroid-lidocaine. Injections were administered to the most painful areas of the anterior or posterior medial condyle of the femur or tibia. The outcome was measured by independent assessors (blinded to treatment) using a linear VAS pain scale and WOMAC and HSS knee scores. Assessments were performed at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 26, and 52 weeks. RESULTS: During the first 3 weeks, group 2 patients showed significantly better all scores than did group 1 patients (p < 0.01). However, no significant differences were detected at 6, 12, 26 or 52 weeks (n.s.). CONCLUSION: The combined treatment may lead to earlier pain relief compared with intraarticular hyaluronic acid alone in patients with knee osteoarthritis and can be considered a useful adjunctive treatment modality. This combined method may provide early return to patient's daily activity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, Level I.