SIGN Distractor For Overlapped Fractures

The need for a fracture distractor is common in developing countries. Many fractures are treated initially by bonesetters or in hospitals that do not have orthopaedic surgeons. The need for this distractor is accentuated during a disaster, because all closed fractured femurs and tibias cannot be treated properly with IM nailing or casting. These fractures are often treated with external fixation without the benefit of a C-arm, resulting in many fractures that are stabilized in a telescope position.   In the photo below, Dr Zirkle is on the left helping to rod a femur using the SIGN nail without the benefit of a C-ARM.

Because the orthopaedic surgeon is well aware that the longer the time between injury and definitive treatment, the more difficult the task of achieving anatomic reduction, SIGN has devloped a special distractor to facilitate reduction.

The full article, authored by Lew Zirkle, was originaly published in the March/April issue of the Orthosphere magazine and can be downloaded here.