Interface pressure produced by the traction post on a standard orthopaedictable

Lower limb traction is applied with counter traction in the groin. The resu ltant tissue pressures can be high and may result in skin necrosis or nerve palsies. Volunteers were positioned on a fracture table and traction applied to the left leg. Perineal contact pressures were measured using pressure transduce rs connected to a laptop computer. Pressure readings and pain scores were r ecorded with different types of padding, whilst the leg was repositioned. Maximal pressures exceeded the 70 mmHg limit known to cause tissue damage. Larger (10 cm) padding devices significantly reduced the pressures. When em ploying the perineal traction post, care should be taken to pad this carefu lly to avoid the sequelae of high tissue pressure. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scienc e Ltd. All rights reserved.