Have you ever broken your leg or arm? If the answer is “yes”, than you probably know how uncomfortable it is to wear plaster. It cannot be wetted, so it becomes a big problem to take a shower; the skin is very itchy under it; bandages get dirty and fall off; skin does not breathe; movements are very constrained.
But fortunately a group of engineers Cast21 from Chicago have solved this issue. Jason Trautner, biomedical design engineer Ashley Moy and electrician Justin Brooks have invented a new waterproof stop treating fractures by applying plaster, which is more hygienic, breathable and comfortable.
In case you like to draw on plaster to make it even more attractive, you can easily do it, and moreover remove drawings without any efforts.
Gypsum is put on in 10 minutes and consists of a liquid polymer or liquid resin that solidifies and fixes the bone in the appropriate position. So all that doctors or even every man is to do is put on and fill.
One of the people representing the company said: “One of the greatest challenges, and also greatest thrills, we face during our design and engineering process is developing something completely new that no one has ever seen or worked with before. It’s an interesting balance of fun and frustrating that isn’t for everyone, but we love it.”
“In my opinion, with a traditional cast or brace, the worst part of breaking an arm would be the smell after weeks of treatment. How embarrassing! Otherwise, I would imagine the pain from the break itself would be the biggest downside of breaking an arm,” representatives said.
In my own opinion such an invention shows a good progress in medicine, as it noticeably make patients’ hard days easier.
From my point of view this startup will become a successful manufacturer of gupsum and many hospitals will stop treating fractures by applying plaster.
links:
https://www.cast21.com/
That’s great news!! I recently had a plaster on my leg and it was awful… Uncomfortable, stinky etc.. I think it is not the most important innovation for medicine, but definitely increases patient’s feeling of comfort and hygiene, what makes them probably less depressed about their injury. I wonder when those wonderful plasters will be available in Poland…
As mentioned previously, this technology won’t revolutionize medicine but will definitely make patients more comfortable which is definitely an important aspect.