Your personal preferance in splinting???

[Newbie2005]

I like speed splints myself quick and easy. And fairly cheap

[Eydawn]

Improvisation is the key. When I have my 'druthers, a SAM with some nice bulky kerlex and padding. Next preference- a pillow and a LOT of kerlex and cravats.

Vacuum splints are counterintuitive in the mountains.. you come down in elevation and guess what, pressure changes... and so does the shape of your splint...

Just a thought!

Wendy

CO EMT-B

MI EMT-B

[etfink]

Good point. I have never worked for a vollie squad so I'm unaware of how the work regarding billing. If they treat or transport don't they still bill the pt?

[Timmy]

Good point. I have never worked for a vollie squad so I'm unaware of how the work regarding billing. If they treat or transport don't they still bill the pt?

My volley service is non for profit. We charge a small fee to have responders and ambulance working a standby event. We don’t transport unless the patient is of such a critical nature they require immediate medical attention, otherwise we call on the state ambulance to transport. We provide treatment to patients or members of the public completely free of charge. They can make a donation if they want. As Bushy said, the cost of equipment can easily be over what the event is donating for us to be there.

But we’ve been told that patient care is more important than what our bank balance is.

[BushyFromOz]

But we’ve been told that patient care is more important than what our bank balance is.

Yeah we got that story too, until someone said to the chap that was BS argument because if we didn't look at ways to save money we would have NOTHING to provide pt care with, bank balance is necessary.

[1EMT-P]

I like the SAM splint, followed by blankets & pillows.

[Chief1C]

We don't often have SAM Splints, they do get expensive, having to constantly replace them. They are common around here, a lot of calls take crews "off the beaten path". Small, fits in a jump kit or in a jumpsuit pocket, etc.. It's almost as nice as the cravat, useful for darn near everything. If you don't mind the black & grey, buying them from a US Military contractor will save big bucks on the bulk cases.

My first choice in splinting is a padded board with a roll of Kerlix or two; the orange morrison splints work nice, and they are easy to clean. We don't have vacuum splints, the ER didn't understand how to remove it, and it was cut; two more were never returned from patients who were flown. There goes a whole set of them. I'm not fond of air splints at all, and a few ER docs will bitch about them being used, but it seems we can never "lose" them.. always find their way back. Probably have three or four kits of them stuffed under the bench.

Also quite fond of the FOX Splints, and the Ferno splints that are orange with the velcro straps, but again, they are usually stolen at the ER and never returned. Pillows are okay for lower leg & ankle injuries, in place of an air splint; or stabilize it w/ a sam, and put a box splint on it. Then of course we have the Adult & Pedi MAST for splinting, another item that always finds its way back home.

[iMac]

The one service I did some volly for carries the vacuum splints but I will say in the 2 and a half years I have worked EMS only once did I have to splint something and it was an ankle. A pillow along with some triangulars worked wonderful. I can see that a vacuum or other premade splints would work really well to prevent movement above and below a joint but if it were me I would go for comfort and would prefer have medics use a pillow (always variations depending on the location of the actual injury).