Hand surgery

SURGICAL INTERVENTIONS WITH THE WIDE-AWAKE APPROACH – A REVOLUTION IN HAND SURGERY

Surgical procedures on the hand are routinely performed at the ETHIANUM using the wide-awake approach. This makes us one of the first clinics in Germany to do so. The wide awake approach was developed by the Canadian physician Dr Donald Lalonde. This surgical method of the hand describes a consciousness-based medicine in which a client can actively participate in the success of the operation while awake and pain-free thanks to local anaesthesia.

The Medical Director of Hand Surgery at the ETHIANUM, Prof Dr Günter Germann, says: “This surgical method of the hand combines several advantages. The client remains active and we can check together with them whether their hand and fingers are fully functional again before closing the surgical wound.”

This surgical method is particularly interesting for clients who suffer from Dupuytren’s contracture or scar contractures following accidents or burns. This approach is also used in tendon surgery for tendon sutures and tendon adhesions (tenolysis).

Optimum surgical results are achieved because immediate corrections can be made if necessary. The shorter anaesthesia times mean less stress for the client. Stressful and expensive follow-up operations can also often be avoided. In addition, the costs of surgery with the wide awake approach are lower than with conventional methods.