Discussion The results show high patient satisfaction with the use of WALANT in an in-office setting. Most patients only spent 30 minutes to an hour at the facility. Most patients also rated their pain during the injection of the local anesthetic and during the operation as minimal to none. Similarly, anxiety levels decreased as the status of the surgery progressed, and almost all the patients did not experience any nausea after the surgery. Overall, the majority of patients felt WALANT exceeded their expectations, preferred using WALANT over traditional anesthesia methods, and would recommend WALANT to another friend. These findings support that WALANT provides high patient satisfaction and considering that 50% of the patients were 65 or older, this shows that WALANT is also able to offer a safe and comfortable experience to the elderly population. Conclusion Traditional wrist and hand surgical methods that utilize general anesthesia and tourniquets have higher complications rates, more overall expenses, and lower patient satisfaction rates. IV-associated complications include phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, infiltration, extravasation, and risk of infection; general anesthesia complications consist of nausea, vomiting, sore throat, dental damage, myocardial infarction, lung mechanics interference, and exacerbation of preexisting comorbidities. WALANT is particularly beneficial and a safer alternative to the elderly population who are more vulnerable to the complications of general anesthesia. In addition, by using fewer materials, decreased staffing, reducing pain levels, and avoiding complications related to general anesthesia, WALANT allows surgeries to be more cost-efficient. In conclusion, WALANT procedures have higher satisfaction rates because patients receive similar surgery outcomes while lowering complication rates, costs, and pain levels. Patient Benefits and Economic Value of In-Office 12 Surgery for Hand Procedures
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