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The crepe bandage as an alternative to the Esmarch bandage for upper limb exsanguination: a volumetric comparison
1Department of Locomotor Disorders, The Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, UK.
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.
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.
