Popliteal fossa neural blockade as the sole anesthetic technique for outpatient foot and ankle surgery

Foot and ankle operations are being performed with greater frequency as outpatient procedures. Although the surgical procedure remains the same whether the operation is done in an inpatient or an oupatient setting, the anesthesia and postoperative analgesia are greatly affected when patients must be discharged soon after their operation. We have evaluated a regional anesthetic technique which blocks the sciatic nerve in the popliteal fossa and the saphenous nerve block at the knee. This was the sole anesthetic technique for both the operation and the immediate postoperative period. This technique appears to have several advantages: 1) Excellent anesthesia during the operation and for about ten hours postoperatively; 2) Use of a proximal calf tourniquet, and 3) Absence of systemic or local complications as might be seen with general, spinal or epidural anesthesia.