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BACKGROUND:The basic perineural catheter design has changed minimally since inception, with the catheter introduced through or over a straight needle. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently cleared a novel perineural catheter design comprising a catheter attached to the back of a suture-shaped needle that is inserted, advanced along the arc of its curvature pulling the catheter past the target nerve, and then exited through the skin in a second location. The authors hypothesized that analgesia would be noninferior using the new versus traditional catheter design in the first two days after painful foot/ankle surgery with a primary outcome of average pain measured with the Numeric Rating Scale. METHODS:Subjects undergoing painful foot or ankle surgery with a continuous supraparaneural popliteal-sciatic nerve block 5 cm proximal to the bifurcation were randomized to either a suture-type or through-the-needle catheter and subsequent 3-day 0.2% ropivacaine infusion (basal 6 ml/h, bolus 4 ml, lockout 30 min). Subjects received daily follow-up for the first four days after surgery, including assessment for evidence of malfunction or dislodgement of the catheters. RESULTS:During the first two postoperative days the mean ± SD average pain scores were lower in subjects with the suture-catheter (n = 35) compared with the through-the-needle (n = 35) group (2.7 ± 2.4 vs. 3.4 ± 2.4) and found to be statistically noninferior (95% CI, -1.9 to 0.6; P < 0.001). No suture-style catheter was completely dislodged (0%), whereas the tips of three (9%) traditional catheters were found outside of the skin before purposeful removal on postoperative day 3 (P = 0.239). CONCLUSIONS:Suture-type perineural catheters provided noninferior analgesia compared with traditional catheters for continuous popliteal-sciatic blocks after painful foot and ankle surgery. The new catheter design appears to be a viable alternative to traditional designs used for the past seven decades.

Level of Evidence : Level V, expert opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed annually with compartment syndrome. This condition is commonly established based on clinical parameters. Determining its presence, however, can be challenging in obtunded patients or those with an altered mental status. A delay in diagnosis and treatment of these injuries can result in significant morbidity. Surgical release of the enveloping fascia remains the acceptable standard treatment for compartment syndrome. This article reviews the evaluation and treatment of compartment syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ankle fractures are among the most common fractures encountered by orthopaedic surgeons and, in the setting of tibiotalar instability, are usually treated surgically. Although orthopaedic surgeons from diverse educational backgrounds often feel comfortable treating such fractures, many controversies and clinical challenges remain. A detailed understanding of the unique issues presented by each patient as well as the best available treatments are required to optimize outcome. Given the unforgiving soft-tissue envelope and the particular importance of both precise reduction and absolute stability, poorly conceived and executed surgery will predictably end in compromised patient outcomes. The purpose of this manuscript is to update practicing surgeons on the best strategies for improving patient outcome after ankle fracture. The focus will be on some of the more nuanced, controversial, and complex ankle fracture-related topics, both in terms of decision making and technical execution. These will include the optimal management of posterior malleolus fractures and syndesmosis injuries as well as the best strategies to minimizing risks in poor hosts such as diabetics, obese patients, and the frail elderly. We will also provide a framework with which surgeons can approach the salvage of patients in whom the initial management has failed.