List Archives

Mon Aug 30 22:51:34 BST 2010

From: anthonym83 at gmail.com
> Is this "common field practice" acceptable?

--> To whom?

If you're asking medical people, then we'd need evidence to decide... And there's not enough evidence for the benefits of collars applied "properly"!!! ;-)

But anyhoo...

1. Need to know which collar this is so that I can work out what exactly they are doing - I find it difficult with just your description - I need a picture, which I'll get once I know the model...

2. There is no benefit for the manufacturer in giving you the "ok" for this, nor any way they could have justified spending the money to test the collar in the circumstances you describe in ordfer to be able to give you the answer

3. The collar is not that important anyway - I would not take the time to do all this acrobatics. Just put the blocks and forehead tape on and then apply some sort of strapping from block to block, which goes under the chin and gets in the way of the patient flexing the head down. Something akin to a bike helmet strap in how it looks. It's tough to do that with the strap which normally goes around the collar, as it will tend to compress the neck backwards, as it originates behind the head - you want this tape to be in the coronal plain, i.e. so that it pushes the chin up and not touching the neck, so it usually ends up stuck quite forward on the blocks. Or just do something else - whatever it is, it will have just about as much evidence behind it as any other "common habit"...

4. That you are obviously THINKING about head control is probably the most advantage your patient gets anyway!

List Archives

For your convenience, find the Trauma List Archive Below

Proper Application of Rigid Cervical Collar