ArticlePlastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.)2022
WALANT Hand and Upper Extremity Procedures Performed With Minor Field Sterility Are Associated With Low Infection Rates.
Article in Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Complications and side effects of Wide-Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) in upper limb surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International orthopaedics · 2024Pooled it
- Airborne Bacterial Deposition Onto Surgical Sites Under Operating Room Versus Field Sterility: A Passive Air Sampling Study Across 3 Surgical Environments.Hand (New York, N.Y.) · 2026Article
- Lean and Green Hand Surgery in the Office: Does It Work?Journal of hand surgery global online · 2026Article
- WALANT Thumb CMC Joint Denervation Under Field Sterility: A Case Report and Description of Technique.Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) · 2026Article
- WALANT Proximal Row Carpectomy Under Field Sterility: A Case Report and Description of Technique.Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Expanding Access to Minor Hand Surgery Procedures in Underrepresented Patient Populations: Safety and Efficacy of a Minor Procedure Clinic in an Urban Safety-Net Hospital.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2025Article
- Greening Hand Surgery: Targeted Measures to Reduce Waste in Ambulatory Trigger Finger and Carpal Tunnel Decompression.Hand (New York, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- WALANT Scaphoid Fixation Under Field Sterility: A Case Report and Description of Technique.Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) · 2025Article
- WALANT Technique Scaphoid Fracture and Wrist Surgery With Field Sterility.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
- Middle finger tenolysis using WALANT surgical technique in a pediatric patient: A case report.International journal of surgery case reports · 2023Article
- Discussion: Successful Use of WALANT in Local and Regional Soft Tissue Flaps: A Case Series.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2023Article
- Current Evidence Involving WALANT Surgery.Journal of hand surgery global online · 2022Review
- Optimization of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using WALANT Method.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The use of minor field sterility in hand/upper extremity cases has been shown to improve workflow efficiency while maintaining patient safety. As this finding has been limited to specific procedures, we investigated the safety of performing a wide array of hand/upper extremity procedures outside the main operating room using minimal field sterility with Wide-Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) anaesthesia by evaluating superficial and deep infection rates across a diverse series of cases. Methods: This study was a case series conducted between October 2017 and June 2020. Of all, 217 patients underwent hand/upper extremity procedures performed in a minor procedure room via WALANT technique with field sterility. Primary outcome measures include superficial and deep surgical site infections within 14 days post-surgery. Results: Of all, 217 patients were included in this study; 265 consecutive hand/upper extremity operations were performed by a single surgeon, with notable case diversity. The majority of patients (n = 215, 99.1%) did not report or present with signs of infection before or after their operation. We report 0% 14-day and 0.37% 30-day surgical site infection rates for such hand/upper extremity procedures performed in a minor procedure room with field sterility. Conclusion: Hand/upper extremity procedures performed via WALANT technique with field sterility in a minor procedure room are associated with low surgical site infection rates. These rates are comparable to surgical site infection rates for similar surgeries performed in main operating rooms with standard sterilization procedures. Thus, the implementation of this technique may allow for improved workflow efficiency and reduced waste, all while maintaining patient safety.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.