Silicone ring tourniquet versus pneumatic cuff tourniquet in carpal tunnel release: a randomized comparative study

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to compare the pain levels resulting from the use of a silicone ring tourniquet (SRT) to those resulting from the use of a classic pneumatic cuff tourniquet (PT) in patients undergoing carpal tunnel release under local anesthesia.Materials and methodsFifty patients that underwent carpal tunnel release under local anesthesia were randomized using the technique of stratified randomization by minimization. A forearm tourniquet was applied: a standard PT was used in 25 patients, and an SRT was used in the other 25 patients (the model of SRT used was selected according to the standard systolic blood pressure). Patient demographics and complications were recorded. Pain levels were assessed with the visual analogue scale and were recorded (a) just after tourniquet application, (b) 5 min after tourniquet application, and (c) just before tourniquet removal.ResultsThere was no statistical significant difference in patient demographics between the two groups. The mean tourniquet time was similar for both groups (p = 1.000). The difference between the mean final pain level and the mean initial pain level was statistically significant for the SRT group (p = 0.010) and highly statistically significant for the PT group (p < 0.001). The mean final pain level for the PT group was higher than that for the SRT group (p = 0.043).ConclusionsAccording to the findings of this study, in patients who underwent carpal tunnel release under local anesthesia, the pain levels at the end of the operation and those just before the removal of the tourniquet were higher in the PT group than in the SRT group of patients.

Silicone ring tourniquet versus pneumatic cuff tourniquet in total knee arthroplasty surgery: A randomised comparative study

“…Drosos et al 9 reported the use of SRT in 362 elective operations and 174 trauma cases Pereira et al 16 reported no clinically significant advantage in a retrospective comparison of carpal tunnel syndrome cases operated using a SRT versus a PT. However, Drosos et al 11 in a prospective randomised study of carpal tunnel syndrome cases, observed a significant decrease in pain evaluation, suggesting less soft tissue damage. To our knowledge, previous to our study, only two evaluations of the SRT during TKA have been reported.…”

Evaluation of a new tourniquet for hand surgery: Comparison of 76 carpal tunnel syndrome cases operated using a Hemaclear® Model-F tourniquet versus a pneumatic tourniquet

“…However the Hemaclear 1 tourniquet caused less pain than the pneumatic tourniquet when placed on the arm [11]. The second showed that the conventional pneumatic tourniquet caused more pain after 5 minutes of application [12]. The third found greater pain with the Hemaclear 1 tourniquet [13].…”

Elastic pneumatic tourniquet cuff can reduce postoperative thigh pain after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized trial

“…Studies comparing the raw material of the cuff with an aim to reduce the complications associated with tourniquet use have rarely been reported. Several studies have reported a silicone ring tourniquet as an alternative to the standard pneumatic tourniquet [ 23 – 25 ]. A recent randomized comparative study compared silicone ring tourniquets to conventional cuff tourniquets in TKA [ 15 ].…”