Abstract

Diabetic foot (DF) represents a serious complication of diabetes mellitus that often requires surgical intervention. The management of anesthesia can be particularly challenging due to the frequent presence of comorbidities and the associated risks of both general and spinal anesthesia. Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) offer a promising alternative, enhancing hemodynamic stability during the perioperative period and providing better postoperative pain relief. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study involving 66 patients who underwent DF surgery with ultrasound-guided PNB at a tertiary care center. We analyzed data on demographics, type of anesthesia, opioid consumption, ICU admissions, mortality, and length of hospital stay. The average age of participants was 73.35 ± 12.80 years, with 77.3% beingmale. Regional anesthesia, specifically femoral-popliteal blocks, was employed in 36.4% of the cases. Patients who received PNB demonstrated a significantly reduced need for opioids postoperatively (p

Key words: Diabetic foot, peripheral nerve block, regional anesthesia, postoperative analgesia, hemodynamic stability, opioid reduction