I start out with 2 weeks on Sports Medicine with an Orthopedic Surgeon. Today, we had the usual orientation, a pre-test, and a lecture on topics important to all physicians: fractures, avascular necrosis, compartment syndrome. But more excitingly, we learned to put on splints and casts. We practiced putting a plaster volar splint and a short arm fiberglass cast on each other. It was really cool, though I'm not very proficient; my partner could still wiggle his wrist. In any case, the scariest part was using the saw to cut off the cast. It's a vibrating saw that is not supposed to cut skin, but it's really loud and it rips through the cast with heat and a shower of dust. It's worsened by the fact that you can't move your arm (because of the cast) and the knowledge that it's the first time your partner is doing it. Anyway, a picture is shown above.Image is in the public domain, taken from Wikipedia.
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1 comment:
hey, i broke my arm once and had to switch between a couple casts. that saw is definitely scary, and i've seen the ortho tech put his finger on it to show how it can't cut skin. OTOH, if you put your finger on it and move horizontally, it cuts really well. I actually got cut once by it, but really superficially.
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