{{Short description|Saw for removing orthopedic casts}} {{About|the type of saw that cuts orthopedic casts|the cast of the 2004 film "Saw"|Saw (2004 film)#Cast}} thumb|Elektrische Gipssäge, by Ortopedia, Kiel, Germany A ''' cast saw''' is an oscillating saw used to remove orthopedic casts. Instead of a rotating blade, cast saws use a sharp, small-toothed blade rapidly oscillating or vibrating back and forth over a minimal angle to cut material and are therefore not circular saws.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.verywell.com/how-to-safely-remove-a-cast-with-a-cast-saw-2549322|title=Do You Know How to Safely Remove a Cast Easily?|work=Verywell Health|access-date=2018-03-25}}</ref> This device is often used with a cast spreader.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rZ3CBwAAQBAJ&dq=cast+saw+orthopedic&pg=PT84|title=Casts, Splints, and Support Bandages: Nonoperative Treatment and Perioperative Protection|last1=Dresing|first1=Klaus|last2=Trafton|first2=Peter G.|date=2014-12-17|publisher=Thieme|isbn=9783131753519|language=en}}</ref>
The patient's skin frequently comes into contact with the cast saw blade without cutting although it can cause lacerations when used over bony prominences.<ref>{{cite book|title=Fundamentals of Pediatric Orthopedics|last=Staheli|first=Lynn|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|year=2008|isbn=9780781774970|location=Philadelphia|pages=51}}</ref> The design enables the saw to cut rigid materials such as plaster or fiberglass. In contrast, soft tissues such as skin move back and forth with the blade, dissipating the shear forces, and preventing injury.<ref name="Halanski 2016">{{cite journal|last=Halanski|first=Matthew A.|date=June 2016|title=How to Avoid Cast Saw Complications|journal=Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics|language=en-US|volume=36|pages=S1–S5|doi=10.1097/BPO.0000000000000756|pmid=27152901|s2cid=45625020|issn=0271-6798}}</ref>
Modern cast saws date back to the plaster cast cutting saw which was submitted for a patent on April 2, 1945, by Homer H. Stryker, an orthopedic surgeon from Kalamazoo, Michigan.<ref>{{Citation|title=Plaster cast cutter|date=1945-04-02|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2427580A/en|accessdate=2018-03-25}}</ref>
Cast removal procedures result in complications in fewer than 1% of patients. These complications include skin abrasions or thermal injuries from friction between the saw and cast. Temperatures exceeding {{convert|101|C|}} have been recorded during the removal of fiberglass casts. The proper use of the saw is to perforate (instead of cutting) the cast, which can then be separated using a cast spreader.<ref name="Halanski 2016"/>
Alternatives include cast cutting shears which were patented in 1950 by Neil McKay.<ref name="US Patent Office, Patent # 2602224">{{cite patent|country-code=US|patent-number=2602224|title=Plaster cast cutting shears|publication-date=28 August 1950|issue-date=8 July 1952|inventor-last=McKay|inventor-first=Neil|inventorlink=Neil McKay|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2602224A/en}}</ref>
==See also== *Multi-tool (power tool)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *Demonstration of a cast saw on: **[http://wolterskluwer.http.internapcdn.net/wolterskluwer_vitalstream_com/MP4s/permalink/bpo/a/bpo_2016_03_16_storm_jpo-12623_sdc2.mp4 bare skin]{{dead link|date=May 2021}} **[http://wolterskluwer.http.internapcdn.net/wolterskluwer_vitalstream_com/MP4s/permalink/bpo/a/bpo_2016_03_16_storm_jpo-12623_sdc1.mp4 plaster material]{{dead link|date=May 2021}}
Category:Power tools Category:Orthopedic treatment Category:Medical saws