INNOVATIVE anaesthetic techniques are being used to speed up recovery times for patients having shoulder and elbow operations.

Surgeons and anaesthetists at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust are performing surgery under nerve block only with the patient staying awake during the operation.

As a result, patients can go home the same day and suffer none of the after-effects of general anaesthesia.

Sixty year old Malcolm Payne, from Hartlepool, received treatment after general wear and tear caused the pain over the years, but having some health problems increased the risk if he was to have a general anaesthetic for his operation.

Speaking after the operation, he said: “I feel absolutely fine. During the operation I had no pain, I could just feel movement.”

Keyhole surgery was carried out at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Mr Rajesh Nanda and his experienced theatre team.

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Austin Mathews, who performed the nerve block, said: “Having the surgery performed under a nerve block alone avoids the risks of a general anaesthetic and patients don’t experience the side effects such as nausea and vomiting.”