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Traction Splint Essay

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Traction splint (device) is used in compound (open) femur fractures, to help align the broken bone as well as reduce the level of pain. The first practical traction splint was created in 1975 by British orthopaedic surgeon, Hugh Owen Thomas. His family was bonesetter from Welesh and this was inherited by Thomas. The device was introduced to the British and French armies by Sir Robert Jones nephew Thomas in 1915. Thomas had previously offered the device to the French army during the Franco-Prussian War but they did not see the effectiveness of the device and did not continue the use of the device. Sir Jones called it the Thomas leg splint. The device was made from a steel rod that was bent to fit on either side of the leg, with a V shape beneath the foot where the two steel rods meet. The upper ends of the rod were attached to a padded ring, which had to be slid up the leg until it was braced against the perineum and buttocks. The traction device was later modified by different people until it is the device it is today.
The aim of this report is to understand the indication of the traction splint and to have a clear understanding of the contraindications of the device.
Traction splint
The skill was particularly …show more content…

Midshaft femur fractures with other fractures on the same limb are also contraindicated, as mentioned previously this can twist the bone and result in further injury. Patients with pelvic bone injuries are not allowed to have traction splints applied to them; there is a large amount of blood loss with pelvic fractures and by applying a traction splint there will be movement that will result in more blood loss. It is also very important to assess the patient’s neurovascular before and after splinting the extremity, this is to know if there are any injuries to the nervous within the

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