Patient Attitudes Toward Local Anesthesia With or Without Sedation for Minor Hand Procedures

The purpose of this study was to assess patient preferences in this population with respect to anesthesia for minor hand procedures. This prospective cohort study assessed 183 patients undergoing minor hand surgery to determine their preferences for local-only anesthesia with or without sedation and the reasons for their choices. Fifty-six percent of patients preferred local anesthesia with sedation, 43% preferred local-only anesthesia, and 2% had no preference. Caucasian patients were 2.7 times more likely to choose local-only anesthesia. Other than race, no other demographics showed statistical significance with respect to anesthesia preference. Patients with a prior history of local-only anesthesia were half as likely to choose it again for future surgeries. Use of an IV and awareness of procedure were the most consistent factors affecting patient decisions. Nearly half of the patients preferred local-only anesthesia. Further prospective studies evaluating outcomes and patient satisfaction with these two types of anesthesia are necessary. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 27(4):317–320, 2018)
Key words: anesthesia, carpal tunnel, hand, preferences, trigger finger