Preoperative ankle block for postoperative analgesia in foot surgery

Background The use of a tourniquet and patients’ preference for general anesthesia (GA) limit performing ankle blocks (AB) as a sole anesthetic technique for orthopedic foot surgery. The aim of this prospective and randomized study was to test the hypothesis that administration of an AB before GA could be effective for postoperative pain relief in patients undergoing outpatient hallux valgus surgery. Primary outcome measure was mean pain score and secondary outcome measures were time to mobilization of patients, time to hospital discharge, and complications. Methods A total of 110 adult patients were randomly assigned into two groups: group GA ( n = 55) and group GA + AB ( n = 55). Group GA + AB received an AB using 100 mg lidocaine 2% and 75 mg bupivacaine 0.5% before the induction of GA. Pain intensity was evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Results Mean VAS scores were higher and times to first rescue analgesic were shorter in group GA compared to group GA + AB ( p = 0.001). More patients required rescue analgesic in group GA and pethidine consumption was higher ( p = 0.001). Time to mobilization was shorter in GA + AB group ( p = 0.001) but hospital discharge time was similar between groups ( p = 0.269). The incidence of nausea and vomiting was higher in group GA ( p = 0.002). Conclusion Ankle block is an effective and simple technique for reducing postoperative pain and opioid consumption. It reduced the time to mobilization without a delay in hospital discharge. It is concluded that the routine administration of AB before GA may be an effective and simple method for pain relief after foot surgery.