Wide-awake Anesthesia No Tourniquet Trapeziometacarpal Joint Prosthesis Implantation

WALANT surgery of the hand: state of the art

Wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet is named the WALANT technique. WALANT has had a major positive impact on cost, convenience, ecology, patient satisfaction, access to surgical care, and outcomes in hand surgery in the last 20 years. Safe and efficient application of the technique is based on two principles. The first principle is the tumescent injection of a large volume low concentration 0.25-1% lidocaine, with 1:100 000-1:400 000 epinephrine. The second principle of WALANT is that the proper injection should be almost painless, with the patient only feeling the first needle poke of a tiny 30G needle. This wide awake patient approach reduces pain, neuropraxia, and systemic side effects of sedation with preservation of motor control, thereby aiding balanced reconstruction in hand surgery.

Wide Awake Local Anesthetic No Tourniquet in Hand and Wrist Surgery: Current Concepts, Indications, and Considerations

Background

Traditionally, the use of a pneumatic arterial tourniquet was requisite for safe and effective surgery of the hand. The use of arterial tourniquets necessitates the use of regional or general anaesthesia. Wide-awake local anaesthetic no tourniquet (WALANT) has emerged as a novel technique to overcome the limitations of tourniquet use in conjunction with regional/general anaesthesia. This review aimed to examine the safety and effectiveness of WALANT and provide guidance for surgeons with limited WALANT experience.

Methods

A literature review of MEDLINE was performed up to March 2021 to identify all articles related to the use of WALANT in hand surgery. Any article reporting original data related to the use of WALANT was eligible for inclusion.

Results

A total of 101 articles were identified through database searching. Of these, 79 met full inclusion criteria and described the use of WALANT in 19 elective and trauma procedures. Current data suggest that WALANT is safe and effective for use in a range of procedures.

Conclusions

WALANT surgery is increasing in popularity as evidenced by the variety of surgical indications reported in the literature. There is limited comparative data on the cost-effectiveness of WALANT compared to conventional methods. Current data suggest that WALANT is safe, better tolerated by patients and associated with direct and indirect cost savings.

Wide-Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet for Rhizarthrosis Surgery: Technique and Experience for 16 Consecutive Cases

Since it was described, wide-awake local anaesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) has gained popularity. Our department has started using WALANT for hand surgery with increasing complexity. We present our results with WALANT rhizarthrosis surgery, including prosthetic replacement, trapeziectomy with suture button suspensionplasty and revision surgery. A retrospective review of all rhizarthrosis procedures under WALANT was performed from April 2021 to July 2022. We included patients who fulfilled inclusion criteria and had adequate imaging and clinical follow-up. A satisfaction survey was performed by telephone. Surgical time, complications, conversion to conventional anesthesia, pain, anxiety and global satisfaction were recorded. Tumescent anesthesia is performed 20-25 minutes before surgery, and is performed in four or five strategic locations that allow adequate anesthesia and vasoconstriction for the procedure to be comfortably carried out. We observed a series of 16 sequential surgeries involving 14 patients. All were female with a mean age of 65 years. Fourteen cases were performed due to primary rhizarthrosis, eight trapeziectomies with suture button suspensionplasty, six prosthetic replacements, and two revision surgeries. One patient needed to be converted to conventional anaesthesia due to anxiety during the procedure. Mean procedure time was 73 minutes. There were no WALANT-related complications. Mean patient-reported satisfaction with the anesthetic technique was a 9 (on a scale from 1 to 10) and 100% of patients would choose to undergo surgery with WALANT anesthesia for a future procedure. We find it useful to actively engage the patients during surgery to keep them comfortable and also help the surgeons assess stability and functional results. After wound closure, the hand is shown to the patient and he performs various tasks. There is somewhat of a learning curve for rhizarthrosis surgery under WALANT; patient comfort can be achieved through an adequate anesthetic technique and reassurance before and during surgery. We recommend that the first few cases be done in the presence of an anesthesiologist and a fasting patient in case there is a need to convert to conventional anesthesia. Wide awake rhizarthrosis surgery, even revision surgery, is safe and pain-free. Patient-reported satisfaction is also high. The authors find that including patient participation in their own surgery might be promising for post-op rehabilitation. There are limitations in this study such as the absence of a control conventional anesthesia group, the satisfaction questionnaire was not done immediately post-operatively, as such, a memory bias cannot be excluded, and it is not yet validated for the Portuguese population.

Patient Concerns About Wide-Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) Hand Surgery

PURPOSE

Wide-Awake Local Anesthetic No Tourniquet (WALANT) hand surgery avoids many medical risks associated with traditional anesthesia options. However, patients may be hesitant to choose the WALANT approach because of concerns about being awake during surgery. The purpose of this study was to characterize patients' thoughts and concerns about being awake during hand surgery and determine factors that may affect their decision about anesthesia options.

METHODS

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 patients with a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, or De Quervain's tenosynovitis who were receiving nonoperative care. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes, concerns, and potential intervention targets.

RESULTS

Eight participants reported that patients have a general bias against being "knocked out," 7 of whom described concerns of uncertainty about emerging from anesthesia. All participants would consider WALANT, with some reservations. Recurrent themes included ensuring they would not feel, see, or hear the surgery and a preference toward distractions, such as music or engaging conversation. Of 15 participants, 13 would not want to see the surgery. For patients who found WALANT appealing, they valued the decreased time investment compared to sedation and the avoidance of side effects or exacerbation of comorbidities. A recurring theme of trust between surgeon and patient arose when deciding about anesthesia type.

CONCLUSIONS

Most patients are open to WALANT, but have concerns of hearing the surgery or feeling pain. Potential interventions to address these concerns, beyond establishing a trusting physician-patient relationship, include music or video with headphones and confirming skin numbness prior to surgery.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This study provides insights into patients' thought processes regarding WALANT hand surgery and give the surgeon talking points when counseling patients on their anesthesia type for hand surgery.

WALANT: A Discussion of Indications, Impact, and Educational Requirements

Wide-awake, local anesthesia, no tourniquet (WALANT) is a technique that removes the requirement for operations to be performed with a tourniquet, general/regional anesthesia, sedation or an anesthetist. We reviewed the WALANT literature with respect to the diverse indications and impact of WALANT to discuss the importance of future surgical curriculum integration. With appropriate patient selection, WALANT may be used effectively in upper and lower limb surgery; it is also a useful option for patients who are unsuitable for general/regional anesthesia. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of WALANT in more complex operations in both upper and lower limb surgery. WALANT is a safe, effective, and simple technique associated with equivalent or superior patient pain scores among other numerous clinical and cost benefits. Cost benefits derive from reduced requirements for theater/anesthetic personnel, space, equipment, time, and inpatient stay. The lack of a requirement for general anesthesia reduces aerosol generating procedures, for example, intubation/high-flow oxygen, hence patients and staff also benefit from the reduced potential for infection transmission. WALANT provides a relatively, but not entirely, bloodless surgical field. Training requirements include the surgical indications, volume calculations, infiltration technique, appropriate perioperative patient/team member communication, and specifics of each operation that need to be considered, for example, checking of active tendon glide versus venting of flexor tendon pulleys. WALANT offers significant clinical, economic, and operative safety advantages when compared with general/regional anesthesia. Key challenges include careful patient selection and the comprehensive training of future surgeons to perform the technique safely.

[Implementation of the wide awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) type of anesthesia in hand surgery]

Wide awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) refers to an anesthesia technique with low bleeding and complication rates, which enables interventions on the hand in an awake patient without the use of a tourniquet. Bleeding control is achieved through addition of vasoconstrictors to the infiltration solution. Since the motor function of the extremity is not affected, it offers the additional possibility of intraoperative active function testing. The WALANT procedure constitutes an established, effective, easily learnt and resource-sparing technique. The spectrum of surgical possibilities with WALANT is wide and covers nearly all elective and many emergency procedures. Due to multiple advantages in contrast to other regional and general anesthesia procedures, WALANT features an increasing spectrum of surgical applications and practitioners. It is therefore of interest for hand surgeons working both in hospitals and private practices.

Trapeziometacarpal (TMC) arthroplasty under Wide Awake Local Anesthesia with No Tourniquet (WALANT) versus Local Anesthesia with peripheral nerve blocks (LAPNV): Perioperative pain and early functional results in 30 patients

We hypothesized that WALANT would provide similar perioperative analgesic comfort compared to local anesthesia with peripheral nerve blocks (LAPNV). We analyzed whether the patient's active participation during surgery would improve its early functional results. We did a retrospective, single study in an outpatient surgery unit, comparing two types of surgery: trapeziometacarpal arthroplasty (TMCA) under LAPNV and TMCA under WALANT. Fifteen patients were included per group. Pain levels were determined during anesthesia induction, intraoperatively, postoperatively, at rest and during activity at the last follow-up visit. The overall satisfaction with the surgery and time to resume daily activities and work were documented. The statistical analysis was performed on SAS software with an ANOVA. The significance threshold was set at 0.05. The groups were comparable on age, sex, dominant side, and operated side. No patients were lost to follow-up. The mean follow-up was 4 months (2.3-11). The QuickDASH score was 4.93 for TMCA under WALANT vs. 13.47 for TMCA under LAPNV (p = 0.01). There was no loosening, dislocation, or major complication. Our study showed that TMCA performed with WALANT yields similar results to the same procedure with LAPNV for perioperative pain relief without additional complications. Functional scores seem to be slightly improved with WALANT compared to LAPNV, but these results should be confirmed with longer follow up.

Wide-awake Local Anesthesia with No Tourniquet: An Updated Review

The wide-awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet (WALANT) technique has become popularized for various hand/upper extremity procedures. Before surgery, patients receive local anesthetic, consisting of lidocaine with epinephrine, and remain awake for the entire procedure. The purpose of this review was to investigate the advantages, diverse application, outcomes, cost benefits, use in challenging environments, patient considerations, and contraindications associated with WALANT.

METHODS

A comprehensive review of the literature on the WALANT technique was conducted. Search terms included: WALANT, wide-awake surgery, no tourniquet, local anesthesia, hand, wrist, cost, and safety.

RESULTS

The WALANT technique has proven to be successful for common procedures such as flexor tendon repair, tendon transfer, trigger finger releases, Depuytren disease, and simple bony procedures. Recently, the use of WALANT has expanded to more extensive soft-tissue repair, fracture management, and bony manipulation. Advantages include negating preoperative evaluation and testing for anesthesia clearance, eliminating risk of monitored anesthesia care, removal of anesthesia providers and ancillary staff, significant cost savings, and less waste produced. Intraoperative evaluations can be performed through active patient participation, and postoperative recovery and monitoring time are reduced. WALANT is associated with high patient satisfaction rates and low infection rates.

CONCLUSIONS

The WALANT technique has proven to be valuable to both patients and providers, optimizing patient satisfaction and providing substantial healthcare savings. As its application continues to grow, current literature suggests positive outcomes.

Total trapeziometacarpal joint arthroplasty using wide awake local anaesthetic no tourniquet

We conducted a descriptive study of 50 consecutive cases of total trapeziometacarpal joint arthroplasty by one surgeon using wide awake local anaesthetic no tourniquet to assess the usefulness and reliability of the anaesthesia, any adverse effects and patient acceptance. No difference was found when comparing the duration of surgery with 50 cases of total trapeziometacarpal joint arthroplasty inserted in a bloodless field under general or regional anaesthesia by the same surgeon. Wide awake local anaesthetic no tourniquet was found to be useful in providing adequate anaesthesia and haemostasis, and to be reliable and safe with no adverse effects. Patient satisfaction was high with 100% willing to repeat. Overall, wide awake local anaesthetic no tourniquet was a satisfactory method of anaesthesia for trapeziometacarpal joint arthroplasty with the potential for significant benefits to both patient and surgeon compared with traditional general anaesthesia and regional block.Level of evidence: II.

Economic impact of anaesthesia methods used in hand surgery: Global costs and operating room's throughput

PURPOSE

Recently, local anaesthesia has become popular among hand surgeons. We hypothesized that using the "wide awake local anaesthesia no tourniquet" (WALANT) approach would result in lower global costs and in an increase in the operating room (OR)'s efficiency.

METHODS

All cases of carpal tunnel (CTR) and trigger finger releases (TFR) performed over 2016 and 2017 were divided into four groups, following which the anaesthesia method was used. Total OR occupation time, surgical time and the "all but surgery" time were analysed. A common minimum bill per anaesthesia was generated.

RESULTS

WALANT or local anaesthesia and tourniquet increase the OR's throughput by having shorter operation room occupation times than other methods (17.5-33%). Costs of the two procedures are reduced by 21-31% when using local anaesthesia methods.

CONCLUSION

Preferring those techniques for CTR and TFR has a notable beneficial impact on the costs and on the OR's efficiency. This effect is more evident on short surgical procedures. LOE: Level of evidence III, economic analysis.

Two-component surface replacement implants compared with perichondrium transplantation for restoration of Metacarpophalangeal and proximal Interphalangeal joints: a retrospective cohort study with a mean follow-up time of 6 respectively 26 years

Background

The aim of our study was to compare the long-term outcome after perichondrium transplantation and two-component surface replacement (SR) implants to the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints.

Methods

We evaluated 163 joints in 124 patients, divided into 138 SR implants in 102 patients and 25 perichondrium transplantations in 22 patients. Our primary outcome was any revision surgery of the index joint.

Results

The median follow-up time was 6 years (0–21) for the SR implants and 26 years (1–37) for the perichondrium transplants. Median age at index surgery was 64 years (24–82) for SR implants and 45 years (18–61) for perichondium transplants. MCP joint survival was slightly better in the perichondrium group (86.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 69.4–100.0) than in the SR implant group (75%; CI 53.8–96.1), but not statistically significantly so (p = 0.4). PIP joint survival was also slightly better in the perichondrium group (80%; CI 55–100) than in the SR implant group (74.7%; CI 66.6–82.7), but below the threshold of statistical significance (p = 0.8).

Conclusion

In conclusion, resurfacing of finger joints using transplanted perichondrium is a technique worth considering since the method has low revision rates in the medium term and compares favorable to SR implants.

Level of evidence

III (Therapeutic).