Coated Cast Saw Blades Decrease Blade Temperature During Cast Removal

Abstract

Background: Thermal injuries can occur during cast removal with an oscillating saw. The purpose of this study is to describe the effect of blade material, blade wear, and cast material on blade temperature. Methods: Short arm plaster and fiberglass casts were cured overnight and bivalved with either new or worn stainless-steel or tungsten-disulfide coated blades. Blade use was defined as removing 1 short arm cast. Blades used to remove more than 20 casts were defined as worn. Ten trials were performed with each combination of blade material, blade wear, and cast material, except for the combination of fiberglass and a worn stainless-steel blade due to complete erosion of cutting teeth. Thirty casts were removed with stainless-steel blades, and 40 casts were removed with coated blades. Blade temperature was measured continuously at 5 Hz using a T-type thermocouple and microcontroller board. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the mean maximum temperature between groups. Results: For plaster casts, new and worn stainless-steel blades produced mean maximum temperatures of 51.4°C and 63.7°C (P=0.003), respectively. New stainless-steel blades produced significantly higher mean maximum temperatures on fiberglass casts than plaster casts (95.9°C vs. 51.4°C, P<.001). For plaster casts, new and worn coated blades produced mean maximum temperatures of 56.9°C and 53.8°C (P=0.347). For fiberglass casts, new and worn coated blades produced mean maximum temperatures of 76.6°C and 77.7°C (P=0.653). As with new stainless-steel blades, new coated blades produced significantly higher mean maximum temperatures on fiberglass than plaster (76.6°C vs. 56.9°C, P<0.001). Mean maximum temperatures between new stainless-steel and coated blades during removal of plaster casts were 51.4°C and 56.9°C (P=0.131), respectively. However, new coated blades demonstrated significantly lower mean maximum temperatures during fiberglass cast removal compared to new stainless-steel blades (76.6°C vs. 95.9°C, P=0.016). Conclusions: Coated blades outperformed stainless-steel in nearly all combinations. We recommend limited use of stainless-steel blades to minimize blade temperatures during cast removal. Clinical Relevance: Appropriate selection of blade material and monitoring blade wear minimizes blade temperature during cast removal.