O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T
tant for pencil grips because it prevents the burr from wobbling. But
too much power can actually be bad. It could split the bone and
make it difficult to control the pencil.
• Pistol grip. You hold it as you would a power drill that's
stored in your garage. It has a little more power and is used
for drilling holes in which to place screws and for some big-
ger procedures.
"There are some occasional larger osteotomies that I'll
use the pistol grip for because it has more power and the
saw blades are a little bigger," says Dr. Biggerstaff. "You
can get the procedure done efficiently and maybe not
need as much of the preciseness or accuracy."
• Blade width. When a sur-
geon wants to shorten a bone,
the width of the saw blade is criti-
cal. The narrower the blade, the
more precise it is. The wider the
blade, the more bone it takes and
the wider kerf (the narrow channel
or slit from cutting) it leaves.
"Having a blade with a narrow
kerf is very helpful," says
Christopher Lincoski, MD, a hand
surgeon at University Orthopedics
Center in State College, Pa. "If it
has a wide kerf, then I need to fig-
• MICRO POWER TOOLS Speed and torque strongly influence
what small bone power tools can do, how easy they are to use
and the precision they offer.
