User comments
- Kimmo Pesonen has used the wooden cast e.g. in the treatment of well-aligned wrist fractures and metacarpal fractures.
Kimmo Pesonen, KYS
Kimmo Pesonen graduated in 2000 from the Helsinki College for Health Care Professionals as a Practical Nurse specialising in emergency nursing. Since his graduation, he has been working in operating theatres, emergency nursing, trauma ward, surgical outpatients and Emergency. At present, he is working at the Kuopio University Hospital Emergency.
Over the years, Kimmo Pesonen has become familiar with all the materials used in setting fractures: gypsum, fibreglass, soft synthetic, plastic, low temperature thermoplastics, and most recently, Woodcast.
- I first heard about the wooden cast from the company representative – I think it might have been during a professional education day in 2010. I’m always interested in new materials, as they provide a way to develop my work and methods. My interest was especially aroused by the fact that the product is environmentally friendly, mouldable and a Finnish innovation. I have been using Woodcast regularly since autumn 2011.
- I plan and implement an immobilisation treatment according to the patient and the injury. I have used Woodcast for splinting well-aligned wrist fractures and for resting splints for wrists. I have also treated thumb sprains and metacarpal fractures with it, Kimmo Pesonen lists and continues:
- Planning and preparing a wooden cast takes a bit of time: you need to work the material, which means cutting it to the correct shape when warm. However, if the material cools down before application, you can re-heat it.
The material felt good right from the start and using it has only strengthened the positive impression. Kimmo Pesonen says he is looking forward to the new options to supplement the current range of Woodcast products.
- Woodcast is user friendly: no toxic chemicals are released during the drying process. It is light, easily mouldable and has rigid rotation. The x-ray transparency is also a brilliant feature for follow-up x-rays.
The clients have also been happy with the wooden cast.
- The lightness and breathability are especially appreciated: Woodcast does not cause sweating, Kimmo Pesonen notes.
- Kari Nevalainen has been applying casts since 1981 using all the available materials.
“I first heard about the WOODCAST splint in summer 2009. I was rather sceptical: how could wood be used for any moulding?
When I saw the product and was able to try it, I realised straight away that the material is extremely easy to mould. The “wood cast” felt good on my own arm, too. I marched to the x-ray straight away and checked, whether you can see the cast in the x-rays. It did not hamper the reading of the x-rays at all.
Having worked in this field for a long time, I can really appreciate the non-toxicity of the wood cast. It can be safely handled without gloves, mask or extractor fans. It is also biodegradable; after use, the splint can be thrown into the waste for incineration. Naturally, using a new material takes a bit of practice.
WOODCAST suits, for example, the wrist, finger, metacarpal and elbow fractures. It also works as a support splint for the back of a leg while waiting for surgery. The material can be used bit by bit: warm it up, cut out a suitable piece, keep the rest and heat up the remaining piece next time.
The patients appear to have been happy with their WOODCAST casts. They have appreciated the lightness and comfort of the material – it feels like there’s no cast at all.”
Medical Technician Kari Nevalainen, Töölö Hospital, HUS