Tip to Overcome Oversized Finger Traps in Wrist Arthroscopy Distraction

Wrist arthroscopy has become a common procedure for examination and treatment of wrist pathologies in recent years. An essential part of the wrist arthroscopy setup involves finger suspension over the traction tower to provide a wider space, which is usually achieved via Chinese finger traps. Nowadays, nylon finger traps are favored over metal finger traps because of the risk of skin lesions. Nylon finger traps usually come in 3 to 4 standard sizes, which can accommodate most patients undergoing the procedure. However, at times, we encounter patients whose fingers happen to be between 2 sizes or are too small for the smallest size. Under such circumstances, trying to find the optimal fit is frustrating, time-consuming and increases costs. We propose a method using small Tegaderm dressings to wrap around the bases of the fingers (1 for each finger) to be distracted and then applying the oversized finger traps. The increased friction between the dressing layer and the finger traps helps stabilize the finger traps and, thus, they will not slip under traction. This simple, safe, and cost-efficient method has helped us overcome the problem of oversized finger traps in almost all the cases we have encountered.