For people who have not been trained in medical schools and are not interested in first aid for injuries, the phrase “Velpo bandage” 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 was injured in the shoulder girdle was greatly simplified.
When does it apply
So, what is Velpo's bandage for? Indications for its imposition are most often associated with the reduction of dislocation of the shoulder joint. Somewhat less often, it is used for a clavicular fracture, since in this case it is more advisable to use the dressing method developed by Dezo. In this situation, the Velpo bandage guarantees the immobility of the shoulder and is applied before the victim is admitted to the hospital. It prevents the possible displacement of the bone (in the case of a fracture) or the repeated loss of the joint from the bag. After the necessary examination and medical manipulations, the bandageVelpo is often replaced by other types of bandage. And the third direction of application: 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 set by the attending physician.
What you need for overlay
As with other surgical procedures, the Velpo bandage requires a bandage. Suitable and conventional medical, non-sterile. However, it will be more successful when using an elastic bandage. If there is no dressing material, you will have to look for some long and rather narrow piece of fabric, for example, you can tear the sheet in strips.
In addition to the dressing, you will need a small roller placed in the armpit. It can be made from any improvised means; in extreme cases, do not fill an empty half-liter plastic bottle with water to the top. And an inexperienced bandager may also need an assistant. However, professional nurses often ask for help.
Velpo bandage: overlay technique
Before starting fixation, the hand of a broken or dislocated arm is placed on a he althy 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 placed in the armpit.
- The hand is fixed in a given position with several turns of the bandage. The direction of its unwinding -from a diseased limb to a he althy one. At this stage, the Velpo bandage should cover both the shoulder and forearm of the injured arm, pulling them to the body.
- The coils are made in a spiral, gradually descending to the elbow and securing the he althy area from the armpit to the middle of the ribs.
- Next, the bandage is drawn obliquely along the back from the affected side and thrown over the shoulder. He picks up the elbow, after which he goes to the shoulder part of the he althy arm.
- The turns of the bandage are repeated several times. In this case, each subsequent vertical turn should move inward compared to the previous one, and each horizontal one should go a little lower.
Approximate offset step is a third of the width of the bandage. With some skills, three or four turns of the bandage are enough to reliably immobilize the injured shoulder, but if there is no certainty, they are made up to seven.
Pros and cons
Velpo's bandage fully fulfills its tasks, fixes and supports the limb reliably. However, in most cases, it is not a treatment and prevents, if necessary, to set the arm. In addition, the Velpo bandage is somewhat difficult to perform and is usually performed incorrectly by a non-professional.
However, shoulder injuries (both dislocations and fractures) happen quite often in everyday life. So, in first aid courses, among other wisdom, they usually tell and show how Velpo's bandage is applied correctly. Usually after the second or thirdrepetition, students perform it quickly, clearly and without errors.
