BODYCAST - THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CSOT

Cast Window
by Jack Hart, OTC
Reprinted with permission from Orthotech Professional
(2004, February), I(1), 1-2.

Cutting a window in a lower extremity cast can be frustrating at times. Normally, the window is used for access for suture pin removal, dressing changes or to remove a foreign object. Windowing for wound care patients, such as diabetic foot wounds, can be easy or difficult for the technician to get the correct size for the wound. The window should be one-half to one inch larger than the wound for which you're making the cut. Large windows can cause window edema due to loss of circumferential compression, compromise the surgical procedure due to inadequate protection of the cast (Figure 1), and loss of structural integrity of the cast to maintain a safe weight-bearing load on the cast (Figure 2).

This abstract is a portion of the article which appears in the Summer 2004 issue of BodyCast.  
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