| Title | The efficacy of combined popliteal and ankle blocks in forefoot surgery. | | Author(s) | Samuel R, Sloan A, Patel K, Aglan M, Zubairy A | | Institution | rohitsamuel@hotmail.com | | Source | J Bone Joint Surg Am 2008 Jul; 90(7):1443-6. | | MeSH | Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Ankle
Female
Forefoot, Human
Humans
Knee
Male
Middle Aged
Nerve Block
Orthopedic Procedures
Pain Measurement
Pain, Postoperative
Patient Satisfaction
Prospective Studies
Single-Blind Method
Treatment Outcome
| | Abstract | BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain following forefoot surgery can be difficult to control with oral analgesia. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a combined popliteal and ankle block with that of an ankle block alone in providing postoperative analgesia following forefoot surgery.
METHODS: We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled single-blind study involving sixty-three patients, twenty-six of whom had a combined ankle and popliteal block and thirty-seven of whom had an ankle block alone. All patients underwent an elective osseous surgical procedure on the forefoot. Postoperative pain was evaluated with use of a visual analogue scale and a verbal response form. Patient satisfaction was also recorded.
RESULTS: The patients who had had a combined popliteal and ankle block had significantly less pain at six hours postoperatively (p = 0.011), twenty-four hours postoperatively (p < 0.001), and at discharge (p = 0.014). This group of patients also had higher satisfaction with pain relief.
CONCLUSIONS: A popliteal block in conjunction with an ankle block provides significantly better pain relief than does an ankle block alone in patients undergoing forefoot surgery. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Comparative Study
Journal Article
Randomized Controlled Trial
| | PubMed ID | 18594091 |
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