Extrication Collars

[Shannon /Terrell]

At our facility we replace "stiff necks" or other hard collars
including"Philadelphia" collars as soon as a patient reaches the ICU or
trauma floor.  We began using the "Aspen" collar a few years ago and it
works well.  We were having not only a problem with patients complaing of
discomfort, but within hours of wearing "hard" collars, they were developing
skin breakdown.  Patients in the ICU keep there collars anywhere from days
to sometimes weeks with few complications.  We have a signigicantly lower
incidence of skin breakdown and patients feel much more comfortable.  The
collar itself is padded with a washable/disposable pad over plastic so
soiling does not indicate a new collar, just changing the liner.

Hope this is helpful...
Shannon Terrell RN
---- Original Message -----
From: Sharryn Byers <Sharryn_Byers@wsahs.nsw.gov.au>
To: <Trauma-list@trauma.org>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 8:22 PM
Subject: Extrication Collars


Greetings,
                   I am a Nurse Educator working in a Neuro-Trauma area and
I am writing a procedure for the removal of extrication collars- "stiff
neck", "WIZ" etc and their replacement with a standard hard collar -
"Philadelphia" etc, for those patients whose c-spine has not been cleared
within 24 hours. Our trauma guidelines suggest that these collars can stay
on for 24 hours, our trauma patients start complaining, on average, at about
6 hours. By 12 hours those able to have requested padding under the edges! A
search of the literature has not helped. Does anyone out there have an
established bench mark for this that I can quote or some research in the
area that might help?
Replies to limbury@pnc.com.au please.

Pat Barnwell
RN, Ba (Educ), TNCC, ENPC, CATN
Glenbrook NSW
AUSTRALIA




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