Strange stuff on your truck

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Im curious now if the chinese finger traps would work for traction

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GMCmedic said:
Im curious now if the chinese finger traps would work for traction
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Let us know how it works.

Waiver: we're not responsible if this happens:
 
Tongue blades for finger splints, guys, that's the way to roll!

the hand E - now that's a funny one. I have mostly used gently tied cravats for securing hands.


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Am I the only one that uses a laryngoscope when putting in a King or a combitube? I was taught it's a great way to displace the tongue and avoid the teeth tearing the baloon.
 
NomadicMedic said:
Am I the only one that uses a laryngoscope when putting in a King or a combitube? I was taught it's a great way to displace the tongue and avoid the teeth tearing the baloon.
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We learned that during medic school. In the field I haven't needed to use it yet. The King has always been able to slide in with no issues.
 
GMCmedic said:
Im curious now if the chinese finger traps would work for traction

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Quite well. Usually.

In the ED we have a device that may or may not have been custom-made, I can never tell. Think of an IV pole (wheels included, yay!) with a spring scale hanging off one of the hooks. Attached to the spring is a horizontal bar, attached to the bar are 5 "finger traps" that are longer laterally for the 1st and 5th fingers. Either pre-reduction or as the reduction, the device is used as a 5-finger trap for traction of a wrist fracture. I've never seen it used on a forearm fracture, those tend to just be manually reduced as needed. For a wrist fracture though, we have the patient seated with their shoulder flexed to 90, abducted, and externally rotated. The height of the device is adjusted to allow for gentle upward motion of the whole arm until all 5 fingers are fully in, then the arm is slowly lowered (and the patient coached) until the wrist is fully supported by the traction device. If greater force is required, we wrap weights around the arm proximal of the elbow, usually 1-4lbs. Done for around 20 minutes or until the desired reduction is palpable. Also helps to maintain traction while splinting.

It has failed once, and I was horrified. The patient was more scared of me having a medical emergency than of her wrist being shock loaded.

Control of hands is an interesting use though, I may propose that. I'm curious how that would place in the spectrum of restraints.

Edit:

This! Though not this same device, again making me wonder how home-made ours is.

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Yeah, @Grimes we have one too just like you described/the picture. Similarly, used for wrist fractures to aid in resetting in. It failed once in the poorest of ways possible. One of our ortho surgeon's kids broke his wrist playing football. Brought him into the ED and he wanted to do the reduction and splinting himself. I brought the thing into the room and dad was showing kid how it works well, stuck his finger into one of them one, and pulled down, and his hand fell. Kid had a priceless look on his face.

Also, I would be concerned with how well a chinese finger trap would hold up for traction. The ones on the contraption are made from some sort of thick, plastic, polyester, carbon fiber looking material that is much sturdier than a chinese finger trap.
 
MonkeyArrow said:
Also, I would be concerned with how well a chinese finger trap would hold up for traction. The ones on the contraption are made from some sort of thick, plastic, polyester, carbon fiber looking material that is much sturdier than a chinese finger trap.
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I saw a video that said you can get them in nylon or a metal material, which I assume is just a mesh. We already get funny looks from everyone as we drag the clanging device over to the room, I'm sure it would only be worsened by multi-colored Chinese finger traps :P
 
We carry these enourmous space blankets in the bags and in the trauma compartment. They look like they'd work pretty well but I can't really figure out when I'd ever be using them outside of a backcountry call...
 
VentMonkey said:
They do kind of look like Chinese finger traps.

As far as strange stuff on our trucks. I'd have to say tongue depressors. I've never used them, so I'd label them out of place.

Also, how do you guys like that "Hand-E" contraption? Does it work well?
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Used my first tongue depressor yesterday.
Last week another medic taught me to apply gauze to the end of two, then tape them together in the middle. Use to apply pressure to epistaxis.

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We carry KEDs. I can't come up with a scenerio where we would need them, since we don't do spinal immobilization.

I'm told they're required by CHP.

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NPO said:
We carry KEDs. I can't come up with a scenerio where we would need them, since we don't do spinal immobilization.
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Work great for de bey-bez. Situationally dependent. There are some concerns for spinal injury (presentation) that may still warrant full c-spine, even in adults.

NPO said:
Used my first tongue depressor yesterday. Last week another medic taught me to apply gauze to the end of two, then tape them together in the middle. Use to apply pressure to epistaxis.
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I just used a pillow case around their neck, give them a barf bucket, and have them hold a cold compress all the way to the ED if it's still actively bleeding:cool:.
 
NPO said:
We carry KEDs. I can't come up with a scenerio where we would need them, since we don't do spinal immobilization.

I'm told they're required by CHP.

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We're required to carry a KED and several other oddities.
 
VentMonkey said:
Work great for de bey-bez. Situationally dependent. There are some concerns for spinal injury (presentation) that may still warrant full c-spine, even in adults.
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We have a pedi immobilzer, like a papoose board, for kids. Works great. The upside down KED is good in theory for hip fx, but a pain to apply.
 
VentMonkey said:
There are some concerns for spinal injury (presentation) that may still warrant full c-spine, even in adults.
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What kind of circumstances are you referencing?
 
EpiEMS said:
What kind of circumstances are you referencing?
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I don't know that I would be all that jazzed about moving a patient I suspect of, say, anterior cord syndrome freely with just SMR.

Clearly, you'd be able to distinguish this more often than not over a whiplash-type injury. Nonetheless, I'm ok with an extra-cautious approach in these types of SCI's.

It doesn't hurt that the backboards are so much more convenient in the helicopter. When you have a chance look up spinal shock as well. While there's probably no way to discern the two in the field, I can't imagine that being any fun, and not worrisome to the patient themselves.

Edit: if I had one of those nifty inflatable doo-hickies that's designed to "splint" the body I'd use that. Does anyone have one, and if so, how do you like it?
 
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I am still fine with the KED being on my unit. They work great for hip/pelvis injuries. We carry a pedi backboard so I've never used it for that before.

Since I cover one of our race tracks the KED and a "speed board" make getting drivers out of their specially designed seats much easier.
 
I have thought in the past if you wanted to immobilize someone, putting a KED seems like it'd make more sense than sticking a long board under their rear and pulling them out and spinning the other while laying them down on it, like there's no way if there's a spinal injury your not manipulating the back by doing that (but we all know now that last statement is true pretty much regardless....)
 
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