Use of Wet or Dry Bandages for Plaster Back-Slabs

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether there was any significant change in length of crepe bandage and simple cotton bandage when wet and any further change when left to dry again. This will simulate the application of a wet bandage to a Plaster of Paris (POP) back-slab and subsequent drying.

Place of Study: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi.

Study Design: Experimental study

Materials and Methods: 50 cm strips of both crepe and simple cotton bandages were taken. Wemade them wet and measured, then dried them and measured again.

Results: Both crepe and simple cotton bandages contracted in the wet and later dried state by atotal of about 6%. Hence, this phenomenon has the potential to cause limb compression effects and elevate intra-compartmental pressure in case of POP back-slab application.

Conclusion: We concluded that bandages whether crepe or cotton should be used in the dry state for applying POP back-slabs.

Key words: POP back-slab, crepe bandage, simple cotton bandage