WALANT Surgery: A Less Invasive Option for Hand Surgery at Athens Orthopedic Clinic

At Athens Orthopedic Clinic, we are proud to offer WALANT surgery, a highly specialized surgical technique. The acronym stands for Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet. WALANT surgery allows us to perform surgery without general anesthesia, sedation, or a tourniquet on the arm. During surgery, the patient remains alert and comfortable, while afterwards patients can get up and go home without any of the side effects of sedation.

Benefits of WALANT Surgery

Choosing WALANT surgery at Athens Orthopedic Clinic offers several advantages over traditional hand surgery methods:

·     No Anesthesia: Anesthesia is one of the safest areas in modern medicine, but there is still the potential for side effects, especially for individuals with multiple medical problems. Less sedation is safer than more sedation, and the safest sedation is no sedation at all.

·     Less Preoperative Testing: Without the need for sedation in WALANT surgery, patients can avoid extensive preoperative testing and lab work. This reduces the time a patient needs to take off from work or school before surgery.

·     Less Disruption: Traditional hand surgery with sedation or general anesthesia often requires patients to fast the night before and the morning of their procedure. With WALANT surgery, patients can maintain their regular eating and drinking habits. This is particularly helpful for diabetic patients and patients on blood thinners, as they can follow their typical diet and medication regimens around the time of surgery.

·     Less Recovery Time: WALANT hand surgery allows patients to avoid the possible undesirable side effects of anesthesia and opiates (nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, and/or constipation). This results in faster recovery times and in most cases, going home right after surgery.

Ideal Candidates for WALANT Surgery:

WALANT surgery is a more convenient, less expensive, and lower-risk procedure. While it is suitable for a variety of hand conditions, it is not feasible for all surgeries. There are a large number of factors that determine whether a patient is suitable for WALANT surgery. If you are interested, ask your surgeon if it is a good option for you!

Meet our WALANT specialist - Dr. David Katz

Dr. David Katz is a board certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in the treatment of the hand, wrist and upper extremity. His research in the field of orthopedics has been published in leading medical journals and has been presented at multiple national meetings. Dr. Katz specializes in both the operative and non-operative treatment of hand, wrist and upper extremity conditions. He believes that it is important to have a very open and honest connection with each patient, as this develops trust in the doctor-patient relationship.

More on Dr. Katz

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit our appointment page or call us at 706-521-6127

Athens Orthopedic Clinic – Leading the way in advanced, patient-focused orthopedic care.