An injection technique to create a bloodless field in arthroscopically assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

We did a retrospective study of 67 patients who had arthroscopically assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the middle one-third of the patellar tendon to evaluate a technique for creating a bloodless field using a local anesthetic with epinephrine injection (the injection technique). For 37 patients, the bloodless field was created using the injection technique. In 30 others, hemostasis was achieved in the usual fashion with the pneumatic tourniquet. All patients underwent general anesthesia. Mean operative time and length of hospital stay was similar for each group. Mean postoperative pain medication consumption was significantly decreased for patients treated with the injection technique. No clinically recognizable complications could be attributed to either technique. We conclude that subcutaneous and intraarticular injection of local anesthesia with epinephrine is a satisfactory method of establishing a bloodless field in arthroscopically assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction operations.