General Anesthesia vs Monitored Anesthesia Care With Local Anesthetic Infiltration (MAC-VL) for Ankle Fracture Open Reduction and Internal Fixation: Impact on Recovery Metrics and Safety

BACKGROUND: Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) combined with regional anesthetic techniques is commonly used for open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of unstable ankle fractures. When compared to general anesthesia (GA), MAC with regional anesthesia has been associated with reduced systemic adverse effects and shorter recovery times, although regional anesthesia carries additional costs and potential complications of its own. A new technique involving the infiltration of high-volume, low-concentration (VL) local anesthetic was therefore developed. When used in conjunction with MAC, we refer to this technique as MAC-VL. This study evaluates outcomes and recovery metrics following outpatient ankle ORIF performed under GA vs MAC-VL without regional anesthesia. METHODS: An IRB-approved retrospective cohort study was conducted including 159 adults who underwent outpatient ankle ORIF between February 1, 2023, and January 31, 2026. Patients were identified using standardized diagnostic and procedural codes and grouped according to anesthesia type. All patients received a standardized injection of local anesthetic around the proposed operative sites before the procedure; anesthesia type was MAC (n = 48) or GA (n = 111). The primary outcome was time to discharge, defined as the interval from incision closed to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes were considered exploratory and included tourniquet, operative, anesthesia time, time in room, Post Anesthesia Care Unit length of stay, conversion from MAC to GA, reported postoperative nausea and vomiting, admissions, and postoperative emergency department visits. RESULTS: < .001) following adjustment for demographic, clinical, and operative covariates-and shortened total anesthesia and operating room time compared with GA. With the numbers available, no significant difference was detected for the remaining secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: The MAC-VL protocol was associated with shorter operating room and recovery times and may improve health care resource use. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective cohort study.