Comparison of the effect and the security between ankle tourniquet and thigh tourniquet

[Objective]To evaluate the effect and the security of the application of ankle tourniquet and thigh tourniquet.[Methods]A retrospective study was carried out among 44 patients in our hospital(from May 2010 to December 2012) who received podiatric operations below the ankle level.Twenty-one of them received ankle tourniquet,and 23 of them received thigh tourniquet.We observed the operation area,fluctuation of blood pressure and heart rate before and after deflating the tourniquet and the occurence of the tourniquet shock to compare the effect and the security of the application of ankle tourniquet and thigh tourniquet.[Results]In podiatric surgery,both tourniquets could create a bloodless surgical area,while the fluctuation of blood pressure,heart rate,the occurrence of neurological symptoms and the skin damage rate were all less in ankle tourniquet group than in thigh tourniquet group(P0.05),but the difference in tourniquet shock rate was not obvious(P0.05).[Conclusion]Both tourniquets could create a bloodless surgical area,however,the application of ankle tourniquet is safer than thigh tourniquet in podiatric surgery.