Background
Splints are used to prevent motion of injured body parts. Unlike casts, splints are not circumferential and are slightly flexible. This allows splints to expand and accommodate swelling. Splints are often used immediately after an injury and exchanged later for a more rigid cast. [1, 2, 3]
Sugar-tong splints are used to stabilize injuries of the forearm and wrist by preventing forearm rotation and wrist motion. [4, 5] These splints may be used to maintain alignment of broken bones or to protect a patient’s forearm or wrist after surgery. Sugar-tong splints are long and U-shaped, not unlike a utensil used to pick up sugar cubes.
Indications
Indications for sugar-tong splints are as follows [1, 2, 6, 7] :
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Initial treatment of isolated radius or ulna fractures
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Initial treatment of fractures of the shafts of both the radius and ulna (“both-bone” fractures)
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Postoperative protection of the forearm or wrist
Contraindications
The risks and limitations of sugar-tong splinting should be considered before the splint is applied. There are no specific contraindications for sugar-tong splinting. For some pediatric distal forearm fractures, a short arm cast may be more cost-effective than a sugar-tong splint, though it does not provide significantly better fracture alignment. [10]
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Splinting materials.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Measuring splint.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Two sheets of splint padding placed side by side.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Two additional layers of splint padding.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Ten layers of plaster roll.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Soaking plaster layers.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Laminating plaster layers.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Plaster layers on top of splint padding.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Folding one sheet of splint padding back over plaster layers.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Folding second layer of splint padding back over plaster layers.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Splint extends to midpalm on palm side of hand.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Splint extends to base of fingers on back of hand.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Splint wrapped in elastic roller bandage.
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Applying bandage wrap for sugar-tong forearm splint. Video courtesy of Kenneth R Chuang, MD.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Four sheets of splint padding have been correctly arranged.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Splint padding is folded up and around each side of plaster strip.
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Sugar-tong forearm splinting. Splint is applied in stages (A, B, C) and shown in its final form (D, E).
