plaster bandage
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A stiff, supportive covering, typically made from plaster of Paris-impregnated gauze, that is wrapped around a broken or fractured limb to immobilize it and hold the bones in the correct position while they heal. It is a type of rigid bandage used in orthopedics.
Usage
A plaster bandage is applied by a medical professional. The bandage material is dipped in water to activate the plaster, then wrapped around the injured area, where it hardens into a solid cast. * The doctor applied a plaster bandage to her broken wrist. * After setting the fracture, the next step is to immobilize the arm with a plaster bandage.
Advanced Usage
- Technical/Medical Context: In medical settings, a plaster bandage is a specific type of cast or orthopedic cast. The term emphasizes the material (plaster) and form (bandage) before it sets.
- The orthopedic surgeon prefers fiberglass for most casts but still uses a traditional plaster bandage for certain complex fractures.
Variants and Related Words
- Cast (n.): The general term for the hardened, protective shell formed by a plaster or fiberglass bandage. A plaster bandage a cast.
- Plaster cast (n.): A synonym often used interchangeably with "plaster bandage," though it can specifically refer to the hardened result.
- Orthopedic cast (n.): The formal medical term.
- Plaster of Paris: The white powdery substance (calcium sulfate hemihydrate) that is the key component of a traditional plaster bandage.
Synonyms
- Plaster cast
- Surgical cast
- (Orthopedic) cast
Antonyms
- Flexible bandage
- Elastic bandage
- Splint (a support that may not fully encircle the limb)
Related Phrases
- To be in a cast/plaster: The common phrase describing the state of having a healed limb immobilized.
- He will be in a plaster bandage for six weeks.
- To have one's arm/leg in plaster: An idiomatic way to state the condition.
- She left the hospital with her leg in plaster.
Noun
- bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal