2.1. Patients
pilon fractures, postoperative pain, Fracture, diabetes mellitus, fracture, neurologic disease, trimalleolar fractures, fractures, bimalleolar fractures, renal or hepatic disease
PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE, DIABETES MELLITUS, -11, COAGULOPATHY
This single-center randomized, controlled prospective study enrolled patients aged 18–70 years surgically treated for ankle fractures between December 2021 and September 2022. Unilateral open reduction and internal fixation for ankle fractures were performed on the patients by a single surgeon who has been operating in this field for >10 years. Fracture types included fractures involving the articular surface of the distal tibia and fibula, including simple fibula fractures, bimalleolar fractures, trimalleolar fractures, and pilon fractures. Patients were blinded to their group assignment and hospitalized for at least three days for postoperative pain control.The exclusion criteria were contraindication for PNBs; uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, renal or hepatic disease, or any neurologic disease; and contraindication for regional anesthesia (coagulopathy or injection site infection). Patients with body mass index <18.5 kg/mThis study was approved by the institutional review board (CNUSH 2021-11-003) and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was registered with the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN17431025). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients. A single researcher explained and conducted the study. Patients understood, and agreed to be hospitalized for more than three days according to their will, which is common in this research institution for hospitalization of more than three days after ankle fracture surgery, and is related to the medical system. All authors approved the final version of this manuscript.