INNOVATIVE USE OF CORRUGATED RUBBER DRAIN FOR NERVE PROTECTION

Abstract

Background: Nerves are at great risk of injury during orthopaedic surgeries. Such injuries lead to major disability in patients. Based on the various studies on patients suffering from such injuries during surgeries, we studied a list of factors leading to intra-operative nerve injuries. One factor leading to such injuries is application of various materials around nerves to protect them, which may cause undue traction on nerves. Methods: We conducted a study in 25 patients operated for different fractures and used corrugated rubber drain to protect nerves during various surgical procedures. Results: With this innovative use of easily available corrugated rubber drain,we observed that none of our patients suffered from intra-operative nerve injury. observed that none of our patients suffered from intra-operative nerve injury. Conclusion: Our aim is to introduce the use of corrugated rubber drain to protect nerves from injuries during various surgical procedures. Although, a thorough understanding of anatomy, meticulous dissection and appreciation of pathoanatomy in fracture surgery is of utmost importance to reduce the risk of iatrogenic injuries.