Abstract

OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether a traction splint made from improvised materials is as efficacious as commercially available devices in terms of traction provided and perceived comfort and stability.
METHODS
This was a prospective randomized crossover study utilizing 10 healthy, uninjured volunteers. The subjects were randomized to be placed in 4 different traction devices, in differing order, each for 30 minutes. Three of the traction splints are commercially available: The HARE, Sager, and Faretech CT-EMS. The fourth traction device was an improvised splint made as described in Medicine for the Backcountry: A Practical Guide to Wilderness First Aid. At the end of 30 minutes the pounds of force created by each device was measured. The volunteers were also asked at that time to subjectively report the comfort and stability of the splint separately on a scale from 1 to 10.
RESULTS
All traction splints performed similarly with regard to the primary outcome measure of mean pounds of traction created at the end of 30 minutes of application with results ranging from 10.4 to 13.3 pounds. There was little difference reported by participants in regard to stability or comfort between the 4 traction devices.
CONCLUSIONS
In this small pilot study, an improvised traction splint was not inferior to commercially available devices. Further research in needed in this area.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Weichenthal L, Spano S, Horan B, Miss J

Institution

Department of Emergency Medicine, UCSF-Fresno Medical Education Program, Fresno, CA 93701, USA. lweichenthal@fresno.ucsf.edu

Source

Wilderness & environmental medicine 23:1 2012 Mar pg 61-4

MeSH

Adult
Cross-Over Studies
Emergency Treatment
Female
Fractures, Bone
Humans
Male
Patient Satisfaction
Pilot Projects
Prospective Studies
Splints
Traction
Wilderness Medicine

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Randomized Controlled Trial

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22441092