The Crepe Bandage as an Alternative to the Esmarch Bandage for Upper Limb Exsanguination: A Volumetric Comparison Study

Abstract

A study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of upper limb exsanguination using the Esmarch bandage, a crepe bandage and the Rhys-Davies exsanguinator. Upper limb volume changes were measured in ten volunteers using a water displacement method. The crepe bandage produced a mean volume reduction of 59 ml (range, 39–94), which was very similar to the Esmarch bandage, which achieved 63 ml (range, 42–101). This difference is negligible in practical terms. Both bandages were more effective than the Rhys-Davies exsanguinator, which reduced the volume by a mean of 28 ml (range, 11–54). It is our opinion that the use of the Esmarch bandage in hand surgery is unnecessary and recommend the crepe bandage as a safer alternative.