The Current and Possible Future Role of Wide-Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet Hand Surgery in Military Health Care Delivery.

Abstract

Wide-awake hand surgery is versatile and can be performed in a variety of settings for various pathologies. The benefits associated with wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet hand surgery can be extremely beneficial in the military health care system. Military medicine focuses on supporting soldiers in areas of combat, providing humanitarian care to local nationals, and to delivering health care to active duty soldiers and veterans in the domestic setting. The ability to perform hand surgery without general or sedating anesthesia conserves limited anesthetic resources and allows patients to maintain situational awareness perioperatively.