She had never applied a spica thumb splint before. In fact, the first cast that she ever applied was for the patient just before me. This nurse squeezed the plaster over my thumb very tight, so that there was no room for any swelling. She also pulled the compression bandage very tight over the splint.

I swelled up, to the point that my fingers more closely resembled sausages, than fingers. When I got the splint switched to a cast at the VAMC (almost 200 miles away), first the ortho PA had to pry the compression bandage out of my skin, then he had to pry the splint off with great difficulty. At the base of my thumb was a deep presure ulcer, that had caused me up to level 9 pain. (Level 9 pain is the type that causes knee buckling or writhing on the floor.) This injury was one of the few (less than half a dozen) times that I have reached level 9.

When the pain and swelling had not resolved several weeks after the cast was removed, I was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome / Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

The RSDS / CRPS is mostly in remission now, and I have regained *most* of the use of my hand.

RSDS

ERP said that the Propofol was administered by an anaesthesiologist, so it was up to the anaesthesiologist to monitor the airway.

ERP

Which is the better splint for a distal radius fracture, sugar-tongs or spica thumb splint?

RSDS

Who is going to make sure that this guy’s fracture does not develop into Complex Regional Pain Syndrome?

Ten years ago, it was a big deal to set up a CPAP when being put under, but this year the Anaesthetist said “don’t worry about it”, and put me under with Propofol. I was not a little concerned at the time, but it seemed to have worked.