Three surgeons from Vail-Summit Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery in Vail, Colo., are performing wide-awake hand and spine surgeries, according to the Summit Daily.
What you should know:
1. Erik Dorf, MD, and Terrell Joseph, MD, are performing wide-awake hand surgeries. Ernest Braxton, MD, is doing wide-awake spine surgeries.
2. Dr. Dorf performs wide-awake hand surgeries for procedures such as tendon repair, carpal tunnel release, trigger finger release or mass removal. He has used the technique for about 18 months.
3. Dr. Dorf has performed 200-plus wide-awake hand surgeries at Peak One Surgery Center in Frisco, Colo., and was recently approved to use the technique at a surgery center in Edwards, Colo.
4. Wide-awake surgery is also known as wide-awake local anesthesia, no tourniquet, or WALANT. Surgeons at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics say the technique's benefits include no sedation or related side effects, faster postoperative return to home, and reduced costs and medical waste.
5. Enabling patients to participate helps achieve better tension on repaired tendons during tendon surgery and ensure that the tendon is completely released in trigger finger surgery, according to Dr. Dorf.
More articles on spine:
Breaking down the 3 major robots in spine surgery
Johnson & Johnson sets sights on robotics in 2020 in orthopedics and beyond
Moody's predicts rapid growth for robotic orthopedic surgery—key insights on Stryker, Zimmer Biomet