Ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic nerve block for surgical anesthesia in wound care patients with ongoing anticoagulant/antiaggregant therapy: A single-center, prospective study.

Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks may be a good alternative in patients under antithrombotic drugs. We evaluated the efficacy of ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic nerve block in patients undergoing lower extremity wound debridement of whom antithrombotic drugs could not be stopped. We focused on hemorrhagic complications related to sciatic nerve block. Wound care patients followed by Cardiovascular Surgery Department scheduled for lower extremity wound surgery were included in this prospective observational study. Data was collected between March 2021 and September 2022. All patient were under antithrombotic therapy and discontinuation of anticoagulant drugs were not possible. Single-insertion and multiple-injection sciatic nerve block at popliteal region was applied to all patients under ultrasound guidance. Primary outcome was the rate of hemorrhage. Secondary outcomes were block onset times, block success and postoperative analgesia times. Data of 105 patients was evaluated, 87 were male and 18 were female. Mean patient age was 61.92 ± 10.06, mean patient body mass index was 25.68 ± 6.33. All patients were under 1 or more antithrombotic drugs. Only one minor hematoma was detected by postoperative ultrasonography control in 1 patient. Hemorrhage complication rate was 1 of 105 (% 0.95, 95% CI, 0.00024-0.051). Overall block success rate was 99.05%. Mean block onset time was 16.27 ± 5.69 minutes. Mean postoperative analgesia time was 19.5 ± 11.22 hours. Sciatic nerve block under ultrasound guidance using in-plane technique was safe and provided sufficient surgical anesthesia and postoperative analgesia for lower extremity wound debridement surgery in patients on antithrombotic drugs.