A recent trial compared Woodcast against plaster-of-Paris for idiopathic clubfoot casting in infants.
Another study of Woodcast was published in October's issue of Bone & Joint Journal!
Researchers from Kasturba Medical College, India, studied the use of Woodcast for a novel application, idiopathic clubfoot in infants. Currently, plaster-of-Paris is considered the standard for clubfoot casting, but removing and replacing the hard cast is difficult and can be stressful for the infant. In this randomized prospective trial, the researchers compared Woodcast to plaster-of-Paris in three areas: effectiveness, complications, and time consumed applying and removing the casts.
In this randomized trial, 23 infants were treated with plaster-of-Paris and 23 with Woodcast.
Infants treated with Woodcast required on average 4.87 casts to obtain full correction (4.35 for plaster-of-Paris). Woodcast was significantly faster to apply and to remove. Complications were equally prevalent, yet different: with Woodcast, cast slippage was the most common complication, and with plaster-of-Paris, cast tightness was the most common complication.
The researchers conclude:
Woodcast splints that encircle two-thirds the circumference of the limb are effective in maintaining correction of the deformity during serial manipulation and immobilization of idiopathic clubfoot.
and:
The mean number of casts required to obtain full correction of the deformity (Pirani Score 0) was 4.35 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.74 to 4.95) when plaster-of-Paris was used and 4.87 (95% CI 4.33 to 5.41) when the Woodcast splint was used (p = 0.190). The time required for application and removal of the Woodcast splint were significantly less than that required for application and removal of plaster-of-Paris casts (p < 0.001). Woodcast splint-related complications were not more frequent than plaster-of-Paris cast related complications.
Here's a full overview on the study's outcomes.
We want thank the research team for their hard work in advancing infant care globally. Congratulations on the publication!