Dip and drip, swipe or squeeze? The best method of draining water for optimal strength in a plaster of Paris backslab.

Plaster of Paris backslabs are used post-operatively to provide stability and protect repaired structures. We hypothesized that forceful expulsion of excess water during backslab construction could weaken the backslab by reducing the final gypsum content. Our aim was to compare the final dry mass and strength of backslabs prepared by three different techniques: 'dip and drip', 'swipe' and 'squeeze'.

Compartment syndrome resulting from undetected ulnar artery injury in the absence of a forearm fracture.

A 6-year-old boy presented following a transient crush injury to his forearm. He displayed mild abrasions but no laceration or associated fractures. The injury resulted in traumatic rupture of the ulnar artery, which caused a large forearm haematoma and an acute forearm compartment syndrome.