SLISHMAN SPLINT _TM

1. Why Slishman Splint? Couldn’t you find a better name?
We ran through action traction, sport splint, rhino splint, rhino reducer, sam splint (nope, thanks to our friend Sam Scheinberg) and many more.  We knew all the Slishmans and Slishman Splint was the only name certainly not trademarked.  Though a tongue twister, perhaps since it lasts in peoples mouths longer it will also last in their minds.  Other suggestions are appreciated.

2. What colors are available?
Our initial production line had a red outer pole and black middle and inner.  The shortened version is available in black. But for bulk orders over 500, pretty much any color and graphic combination is possible.

3. Why don’t you make an "ambulance-only" splint?
We have. The short version is more compact at 55 cm (21.5 inches), and weighs only 462 grams with straps. It is designed specifically for femoral traction.

4. How can I keep the cord from creeping out of the ski pole splint while I ski?
Adjust the height only with the lower shaft.  If you require a ski pole that is over 130 cm tall, tie an overhand or figure 8 knot in the cord and press it into the handle until it holds firmly in place.  Then extend the outer pole to your liking.

5. Do you medicate your patients prior to using the splint for shoulder reductions?
It depends on how miserable they look.  Frequently, patients request medications.  I then generally request around 10 mg Morphine to be given IM.  While the nurse gets the medication, I attach the straps to the patient’s arm.  I then instruct the patient to apply traction.  Since traction actually pulls the malaligned bones apart, some patients get relief from this step and continue to apply traction until the shoulder is reduced.  Often this is the point when the nurse arrives with Morphine and we reassess the level of pain.

I never use medications for sedation, unless the splint fails and I have to use traditional techniques.

6. How do you clean the splint?
The straps can be washed with any technique you like for washing fabrics.  But I often cover the straps in towels or gauze pads to keep them clean.

7. Why have you not included elastic straps to stabilize the middle of the leg as provided on other traction splints?
Initially when my goal was to produce purely back-country splints, pre-fab straps were not even considered, since it is so easy to improvise straps from Kerlex, belts, bandanas, etc.  The straps now offered provide a complete and comfortable way to apply traction for general use.  Patients with femur fractures frequently have other issues that warrant a backboard whose straps generally suffice for mid-leg stabilization.  Special elastic support straps do not provide any significant rotational stability for single-sided splints, so they simply are not worth the added weight, bulk and cost.  It certainly is important to stabilize the middle portion of the leg, but this is a simple task that can easily be accomplished with many solutions.  Simplest is to strap the affected leg to the other leg.  Or you may just lean the leg against the gurney bed rail.  (This sounds insufficient, but has worked quite well for me in the emergency department.)  Evac-U-Splints or box-splints also suffice.

8. Can you use the splint for any other type of injury?
No other actual tests have been performed, but there certainly are other possibilities.  The splint would probably provide support for tibial fractures, and the traction may actually provide some pain relief.  Perhaps a compartment syndrome from bleeding into the calf could be prevented by early traction, though tough to prove.  Use on hip or elbow dislocations has also been discussed, but never attempted. If interested in performing research using our splint, send us you proposal and we will discuss possibilities.

9. Why can't I buy splints in the US?
The patent for the traction mechanism is owned by the University of New Mexico.  From 2002-3 I actually licensed the patent from the University to sell splints in the US.  But this proved to be too expensive. So until the patent runs out or a company decides to license the patent from the University, it will continue to be sold only outside of the US.