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BODYCAST - THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CSOT A Traction
Jig for Reduction of Distal Radial Fractures
A traction jig is described which facilitates the closed reduction of extra-articular distal radial fractures and maintains the reduction whilst a plaster cast is applied. The jig is suitable for use by a single operator in an accident and emergency department setting. Introduction Adult patients with Colles' and other extra-articular distal forearm fractures are commonly managed "in house" by accident and emergency departments by closed reduction of the fracture, followed by immobilization in a simple cast (typically a plaster of Paris back-slab)(Cochrane 2001). Two main problems are commonly encountered. Firstly, incomplete reduction of the fracture; secondly, loss of (satisfactory) reduction during application of the cast. Both of these scenarios may be related to difficulty in maintaining constant traction throughout the procedure. "Finger Traps" can be used as part of a system to provide constant traction on upper limb fractures in the operating theatre (Derkash et al., 1990) or in the emergency department (Simon et al., 2001); In the UK., their use has been restricted mainly to the operating theatre due to technical difficulties applying the technique. We present a finger-trap traction jig for reduction of distal radial fractures that overcomes these difficulties and which can be used in the accident and emergency department.
This abstract is a portion of the article
which appears in the Spring 2004 issue of BodyCast.
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Summary