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Re: Amputation Saw

To: shop-talk@Autox.Team.Net, "Keith Conover, M.D." <kconover@pitt.edu>
Subject: Re: Amputation Saw
From: "Dunst, Mordecai" <mdunst@smtplink.coh.org>
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 97 10:56:06 pst
     
Keith:

I'm not an engineer but "cutting to the meat' the problem boils down to this:

You need an electrically operated device that can saw Hydroxyapatite 
efficiently.

One of the wonderful things of living close to CalTech here in Pasadena is
the ability to talk to "retired science guys".  There is a program at the 
institute that allows these retired engineers and scientists to work on 
just this sort of problem.  I have met with a group of them previously 
several years ago for consideration of developing a longitudinaly stiff
hollow metal needle that could bend lateraly wtihout kinking.  This was
for performing Fine needle aspirations of endobronchial leaions.  It was 
fun..

Call Caltech and see if they have this program still open.  They did it for 
free then but weren't able to come up with a cheap solution.

Mordy Dunst M.A., M.D., FCCP
Pulmonary Diseases
City of Hope



______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Amputation Saw
Author:  ,"Keith Conover, M.D." <kconover@pitt.edu> at INTERNET
Date:    2/4/97 8:12 AM


Not a joke, really.
     
I've been quietly listening to the list for a while, and indeed this 
is the right place to ask this question.
     
I work as medical director for mountain and cave rescue teams, and we 
try to plan ahead for even unlikely occurrences -- such as a caver 
with a leg trapped under a rock.
     
Don't worry about anaesthesia, bleeding control, etc.  And don't 
worry about the skin and soft tissues -- cutting through them with a 
serrated pocket knife is fine.
     
The problem is cutting through the big bone in the middle, in cramped 
spaces.  In the operating room under controlled circumstances, we use 
a wire saw like those sold in camping stores (about 14" long with 
serrations along it, a split ring on either end).  Actually, one of 
the orthopedic surgeons in Charlotte, NC has switched to actual 
camping saws -- they're a lot cheaper and work just as well.
     
But one of these saws requires a fair bit of room around the leg, and 
might not work very well in some situations.  An alternative is a 
Gerber folding camp saw, which can be used with minimal motion even 
in a confined space. But it still requires some motion, and in some 
situations might be very slow and tiring to use.
     
I had seen a "WoodZig" at the local Hechinger's last year -- a tiny 
battery-powered chainsaw (blade about 6" long) on a long stick, for 
tree pruning.  But Hechinger was out of them.  And when I called up 
the company in Portland, OR, they said they had discontinued them 
and had nothing similar to offer.  Gak.  It had looked ideal -- just 
hold it in place and it would cut right through. 
     
Any of the inventive minds on this list seen anything else that would 
be good?  The requirements are:
     
1. lasts long enough to cut through a leg
2. can adapt to using non-rechargable batteries (don't trust NiCads 
for rare, life-safety situations)
3. lightweight for hauling into wherever
4. can be easily used in very tight situations where one can just 
reach in with one hand.
     
Thanks for any suggestions.
     
Keith Conover, M.D., FACEP (NSS 12893, WD4PSY) 
http://www.pitt.edu/~kconover
- Information Systems Coordinator, Dept. of EM, Mercy Hospital 
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, 
  Univ. of Pittsburgh (EM Residency and Center for Emergency Medicine)
- Medical Director, Wilderness EMS Institute 
  (http://www.wemsi.org; for a WEMSI-sponsored list, send "subscribe 
   wilderness-emergency-medicine" to Majordomo@list.pitt.edu) 
- Eastern Region, Natl. Cave Rescue Comm./Appalachian SAR Conf.
     

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