title: Well-leg positioning on a fracture table: using a pillow sling.
abstract: Although rare, acute compartment syndrome remains a well-reported complication of the lithotomy position. The avoidable nature of this potentially devastating complication has led many surgeons to forgo this well-leg setup when using the fracture table, and instead place the uninjured limb into a scissored position. In this report, we describe a safe and efficient technique for positioning the well leg in a scissored position on the fracture table using a pillow and a self-adherent compression bandage. With this positioning method for the uninjured limb, an optimal amount of relaxed hip and knee extension, and limb adduction to midline along the table's support bar, is reliably achieved to permit lateral fluoroscopic imaging of the injured limb without overlap of the well leg or interference with C-arm positioning.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute, Medical Center East, Nashville, TN. jesse.bible@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Jesse E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bible
authors.forename: Hassan R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Mir
mesh_terms: D003161:Compartment Syndromes / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D009983:Orthopedic Equipment; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*