Cast saw

A cast saw is a power tool used to remove orthopedic casts. Unlike circular saws with rotating blades, cast saws use a sharp, small-toothed blade rapidly oscillating or vibrating back and forth over a very small arc to cut material.[1] Patient's skin frequently comes into contact with the blade however, the design enables the saw to cut rigid materials such as plaster or fiberglass while soft tissues such as skin move back and forth with the blade, dissipating the shear forces, preventing injury.[2]

Modern cast saws date back to the plaster cast cutting saw submitted for patent on April 2, 1945 by Homer H. Stryker, an orthopaedic surgeon from Kalamazoo, Michigan[3]

Cast removal procedures result in complications in less than 1% of patients. These complications can include skin abrasions or thermal injuries from friction between the saw and cast. Temperatures exceeding f 101 °C (214 °F) have been recorded during removal of fiberglass casts. The tools is properly used less as a cutting tool and more as on to perforate the cast which is then separated with cast spreader.[2]

Alternatives include cast cutting shears which were patented in 1950 by Neil McKay.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Do You Know How to Safely Remove a Cast Easily?". Verywell Health. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  2. 1 2 Halanski, Matthew A. (June 2016). "How to Avoid Cast Saw Complications". Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. 36: S1. doi:10.1097/BPO.0000000000000756. ISSN 0271-6798.
  3. ↑ Plaster cast cutter, 1945-04-02, retrieved 2018-03-25
  4. ↑ US 2602224, McKay, Neil, "Plaster cast cutting shears", published 28 August 1950, issued 8 July 1952
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