A cast saw is an oscillating power tool used to remove

orthopedic cast An orthopedic cast, or simply cast, is a shell, frequently made from plaster or fiberglass, that encases a limb (or, in some cases, large portions of the body) to stabilize and hold anatomical structures—most often a broken bone (or bones), in ...

s. Unlike a

circular saw A circular saw is a power-saw using a toothed or abrasive disc or blade to cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an arbor. A hole saw and ring saw also use a rotary motion but are different from a circular saw. ''Cir ...

with a rotating blade, a cast saw uses a sharp, small-toothed blade rapidly oscillating or vibrating back and forth over a very small angle to cut material. This device is often used with a cast spreader. The patient's skin frequently comes into contact with the cast saw blade without cutting although it can cause lacerations when used over bony prominences. The design enables the saw to cut rigid materials such as plaster or fiberglass while soft tissues such as skin move back and forth with the blade, dissipating the shear forces, preventing injury. A general technique in the use of cast saw often involves a demonstration before actually cutting the cast. Modern cast saws date back to the plaster cast cutting saw which was submitted for patent on April 2, 1945 by Homer H. Stryker, an orthopaedic surgeon from

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Cast removal procedures result in complications in less than 1% of patients. These complications can include skin abrasions or thermal injuries from friction between the saw and cast. Temperatures exceeding have been recorded during removal of fiberglass casts. Proper use of the saw is to perforate (instead of cutting) the cast, which can then be separated using a cast spreader. Alternatives include cast cutting shears which were patented in 1950 by Neil McKay.

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*Demonstration of a cast saw on:
bare skin

plaster material
{dead link, date=May 2021 Power tools Orthopedic treatment

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