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Halo Cervical Traction; Careful consideration of pin design and answers to the MRI question
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The use of a Halo pin in a cervical traction system should be carefully considered. The pin should be sharp enough to penetrate the skin, but at the same time ensure that tissue cannot tear or twist.
Complications when using wrong pins
The correct design and sharpness of the tip ensures that by using the Halo pin an incision is not necessary. An incorrect design of the pin point can lead to numerous complications for the patient who has already suffered significant trauma:
• Excessive bleeding
• Loosening the pin
• Skin breakdown
• Infection
• Ultimately loss of cervical traction
Why the sharpness of the pin is so important?
The sharpness of the pin is also crucial to prevent the bone from bursting, crushing or pundigling around the orbital ledge. A blunt or flat point may require increased torque during application and subsequent pin checks, leading to a greater risk of skull damage and/or puncture. Damage to this area will contribute to the complications as mentioned above, including the loss of cervical traction.
This may have consequences
Which may result in new (alternating) skull pins or even a new halo ring. In addition, neurological and/or vascular disorders may occur as a result of damage caused by blunt skull pins.
Request more information here!What does the ideal design for skull pins look like?
The design of a Halo pin should also include a way to anchor and stabilize the pin to the patient. When the skull pin is well anchored, perforation, loosening of the pin, wear and tear and loss of cervical traction are prevented.
What the solution is to this
The solution is a wither on the pin, which anchors the pin to the base of the skull, providing stabilization at the pin position and preventing pin complications.
Why is this so important?
A pin designed without this important geometry can lead to additional complications when the pin loosens and possible loss of traction.
Strength and durability of pmt halo pins
The strength and durability of the material selected to construct the pin also has a significant effect on the design and reliability of the pin. Medical-grade titanium (TI 6AL-4V ELI) is widely recognized as a lightweight, durable material that can maintain both the point of the halo pin and sharpness.
Benefits of the Titanium headpins:
• Reliable
• Medical quality titanium
• Lightweight
• Sustainable
• Maintaining sharpness
MRI/CT-compatible and safe
This pen construction and the graphite materials used in the PMT® Halo system have been repeatedly classified as MRI/CT-compatible and safe material. The best image was provided by a Halo system consisting of graphite alloy uprights, a Halo ring of graphite alloy and titanium pins.”
What magnetic resonance experts have found
Reports of “burn feeling” around the pin positions with these materials were inaccurate and were in fact vibrations that were caused by the MRI device itself. Research has stated that
“these vibrations can be misinterpreted by the patient; as a burning or other unusual feeling.”
The importance of a headpin design with a sharp point
The PMT titanium parabolic headpin demonstrates the importance of a sharp-point design to penetrate the outer skull layer. The anchoring properties are further enhanced by the rapid increase in diameter of the pen, sealed with a safe deposit on which the skull can rest. From more than 20 years of clinical success at PMT Corporation, this design is superior.
Research and development
Neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons continue to prefer the PMT® Halo system and prescribe PMT® products most often due to the ease of application, adjustments and patient adherence. PMT® remains committed to researching and pioneering the original concept to further develop the specialty of cervical external fixation.
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