People who are not trained in medical schools and are not interested in first aid methods for injuries, the phrase "Velpo dressing" is unlikely to say anything. But for doctors, especially traumatologists and surgeons, this term is familiar and close. They are sincerely grateful to the French surgeon and anatomist Alfred Velpo, who developed this bandage in the first half of the nineteenth century. Thanks to her, the task of helping a person who received an injury to his shoulder girdle was greatly simplified.
In what cases is applied
So, what is Velpo's bandage for? Indications for its imposition are most often associated with the reduction of dislocation of the shoulder joint. It is somewhat less commonly used for a clavicular fracture, since in this case it is more advisable to apply the method of dressing developed by Deso. In this situation, Velpo's dressing guarantees immobility of the shoulder and is applied before the victim arrives at the hospital. It prevents possible bone displacement (when it comes to a fracture) or repeated loss of the joint from the bag. After conducting the necessary examination and medical procedures, Velpo's bandage is often replaced with other types of bandage. And the third area of application: postoperative recovery, when the mammary gland is removed. In this case, the Velpo bandage is worn by the patient for a long time - the time of constant fixation is determined by the attending physician.
What you need for overlay
As with other surgical procedures, the Velpo dressing requires a bandage. Normal medical, non-sterile is also suitable. However, it will be more successful when applying an elastic bandage. If there is no dressing , you will have to look for some long and rather narrow piece of fabric, for example, you can tear a sheet in strips.
In addition to the dressing, you will need a small roller placed in the armpit area. It can be made from any means at hand; in extreme cases, it’s not completely filled with water an empty half-liter plastic bottle. And an inexperienced bandage operator may also need an assistant. However, professional nurses often ask them to help.
Velpo Headband: Overlay Technique
Before fixing, the brush of a broken or dislocated arm is placed on a healthy shoulder. In some cases, its location on the forearm will be more convenient and painless. The elbow should be bent at an acute angle (45 degrees).
- A tight roller is laid in the armpit.
- The hand is fixed in a predetermined position by several turns of the bandage. The direction of its unwinding is from a sick limb to a healthy one. At this stage, Velpo's dressing should cover both the shoulder and the forearm of the injured hand, pulling them to the body.
- The turns are made in a spiral fashion, gradually descending to the elbow and fixing for a healthy area from the armpit to the middle of the ribs.
- Next, the bandage is obliquely held on the back from the affected side and is thrown over the shoulder. An elbow is picked up by him, after which he goes to the shoulder part of a healthy hand.
- The turns of the bandage are repeated several times. In this case, each subsequent vertical turn should be shifted inward compared to the previous one, and each horizontal one should pass a little lower.
The approximate offset step is a third of the width of the bandage. If you have some skills for reliability of immobilization of an injured shoulder, three to four turns of a bandage are enough, but if there is no certainty, they are made up to seven.
Advantages and disadvantages
Velpo's bandage fully fulfills the tasks assigned to it, fixes and supports the limb reliably. However, in most cases, it is not a treatment and, if necessary, prevents the arm from being straightened. In addition, the application of Velpo's dressing is somewhat difficult to perform and is usually performed by a layperson incorrectly.
However, shoulder injuries (both dislocations and fractures) occur in everyday life quite often. So at first aid courses, among other tricks, they usually tell and show how the Velpo bandage is correctly applied. As a rule, after the second or third repetition, students complete it quickly, clearly and without errors.