Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ambulatory open surgical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome with local anesthesia and without tourniquet ischemia, sedation by an anesthesiologist, or hospitalization. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 60 consecutive cases performed during 1 year was conducted, excluding other compressive or noncompressive neuropathies. The criteria for treatment efficacy were improvements in symptoms and recurrence rates, and the safety criterion was the presence of complications. Results: The mean patient age was 53.39 years, with 91.7% of women and 8.3% of men. The right side was more frequently affected (65% of the cases). The anesthetic and surgical procedures were well tolerated by patients. No complications during the procedures or postsurgical recurrences were observed. Conclusions: Consistent with previous data, the results of this study corroborate that the proposed treatment is effective, safe, and of low cost, resulting in great savings and increased productivity for the public health system.
Keywords: ambulatory surgical procedures; carpal tunnel syndrome; local anesthesia; tourniquets.