1 0 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E •
J
ust as in golf you don't tee off with your putter, in surgery you
pick the right power tool for the job. Some are designed for
larger operations — like knee and hip replacements —
where surgeons need more speed and power, while others are
intended for small bone procedures that require more precision
and finesse when sawing, shaping, dissecting and drilling
bone, or fragmenting, emulsifying and aspirating soft tis-
sue.
"The importance of having specific power tools
for what I do is that they're more precise," says D.
Scott Biggerstaff, MD, a foot and ankle specialist at
OrthoCarolina in North Carolina.
Precision is only one of the features to look for
when buying small bone power tools. Here are some
others to consider:
• Pencil grip. It doesn't get any more pre-
cise than the pencil grip. The name is
exactly what it implies, you hold it like a
pencil. The pencil grip is for more intri-
cate, fine-detailed procedures, like
nerve repair, wrist arthroscopy, wrist
fractures, minimally invasive surgery
of the hand and carpal tunnel syn-
drome. It's not meant to be used
to penetrate the bone but used,
for example, to open a small
hole in the bone. Speed is impor-
Small Bone Power Tools
Put power and precision in your surgeons' hands.
Thinking of Buying …
Mike Morsch | Associate Editor
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR