Velpo's bandage: indications for superposition and his technique

People who have not been trained in medical schools and not interested in the methods of first aid for injuries, the phrase "bandage Velpo" is unlikely to say anything. But doctors, especially traumatologists and surgeons, this term is familiar and close. They are sincerely grateful to the French surgeon and anatomist Alfred Velp, who developed this bandage in the first half of the nineteenth century. Thanks to her, the task of helping a person who was injured in the shoulder girdle has become much simpler.

In which cases is applied

So, why do you need a Velpo bandage? Indications for its superposition are most often associated with the direction of dislocation of the shoulder joint. More rarely, it is used for clavicular fracture, since in this case it is more appropriate to use the dressing method developed by Deso. In this situation, the Velpo armband guarantees the immobility of the shoulder and is applied before the victim enters the hospital. It prevents the possible displacement of the bone (if it is a fracture) or the re-emergence of the joint from the bag. After carrying out the necessary examination and therapeutic manipulations, the Velpo bandage is often replaced by other types of bandage. And the third direction of use: postoperative recovery, when the mammary gland is removed. In this case, the Velpo bandage is worn by the patient for quite a long time - the time of permanent fixation is established by the attending physician.

What you need to apply

As with other surgical procedures, the Velpo bandage requires a bandage. Suitable and the usual medical, non-sterile. However, it will be more successful when using elastic bandage. In case there is no dressing material , you will have to look for some long and rather narrow piece of tissue, for example, you can tear strips of sheet.

In addition to the dressing material, a small cushion will be needed to be placed under the armpit. It can be made from any improvised means; In extreme cases - do not fill up the empty half-liter plastic bottle with water. And an inexperienced bandit boy might need an assistant. However, professional nurses often ask them to help.

Velpault bandage: blending technique

Before the fixation begins, the hand of the broken or dislocated hand is placed on the 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).

1. In the armpit lies a tight shaft.
2. The hand is fixed in the given position by several turns of the bandage. The direction of its unwinding - from a sick limb to a healthy one. At this stage, the Velpault bandage should cover both the shoulder and forearm of the affected arm, pulling them to the trunk.
3. The coils are made spirally, gradually going down to the elbow and fastening for a healthy area from the armpit to the middle of the ribs.
4. Next, the bandage is drawn obliquely on the back from the affected side and is thrown over the shoulder. They catch the elbow, after which it goes to the shoulder part of a healthy arm.
5. The turns of the bandage are repeated several times. In this case, each subsequent vertical turn must move inward in comparison with the previous one, and each horizontal one - to pass a little lower.

The approximate step of displacement is a third of the width of the bandage. With some skills for the reliability of immobilization of the injured shoulder, there are three or four turns of bandage, but if there is no certainty, they are made up to seven.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Velpo bandage fully fulfills the tasks assigned to it, fixes and maintains the limb reliably. However, in most cases, it is not a treatment, and it hinders, if necessary, that the hand is added. In addition, the overlapping of the Velpo dressing is somewhat difficult in execution and the layman usually does not perform correctly.

However, shoulder injuries (both dislocations and fractures) occur in everyday life quite often. So in the course of first aid, among other wisdoms, they usually tell and show how correctly Velpot's bandage is applied. As a rule, after the second-third repetition, the students perform it quickly, clearly and without errors.