New ‘Quiet’ System Will Alleviate Children’s Fear of the Traditional, Noisy Saw Used To Cut off Casts

As anyone who has broken a bone knows, removing the cast can be one of the most stressful parts of the ordeal - especially for a child.

Traditional oscillating saws are noisy, seem to take forever, and can get hot enough to potentially cause third-degree burns.

At Yale, there will soon be a better way.

The Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation has won a $4,995 grant from the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts to purchase an OrthoPediatrics Quiet Cast Removal System. It allows pediatric casts to be removed in half the time, with the unit running at half the temperature and decibel level.

Yale will be the first in Connecticut to have this new OrthoPediatrics cast removal system. “This grant will enable us to utilize the latest technology in cast removal, which will be especially beneficial to children and help minimize their fears and tears in what is often a very scary procedure,” says Dr. Brian G. Smith, director of pediatric orthopaedics at the School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. “Yale Orthopaedics is very grateful to the Ronald McDonald House Charities for enhancing our ability to give the very best orthopaedic care to our youngest and smallest patients.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts provides grant money to local non-profit organizations that help area children lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. Since 1988 it has provided more than $5.5 million to over 350 non-profit organizations that serve thousands of children. The global network of local chapters in over 50 countries has awarded more than $460 million in grants and program services.

The Yale Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Department expects to receive the new saw sometime in March.