| abstract |
Orthopedic casts for humans and animals are prepared from orthopedic cast materials in the form of webs or sheets containing cyclic ester polymers or blends of cyclic ester polymers and poly(vinyl alkyl ether). The preferred cyclic ester is poly-epsilon-caprolactone, and the preferred poly-(vinyl alkyl ether) is poly(vinyl ethyl ether). The webs of cyclic ester polymer or blend can be heat fused or bonded to, embedded with, or impregnated into backing webs such as gauze, fabric, plastic film and the like. The cyclic ester polymer or blend can be dusted onto webs like gauze and heated to fuse it to the gauze to form a moisture-vapor permeable orthopedic cast material. The same can be obtained by impregnating the gauze with a solution of the cyclic ester polymer or blend, and driving off the solvent. Typically, the orthopedic cast material can be wrapped around a broken limb, heated, molded, and cooled to form a relatively rigid cast. Heating can be applied before or after the cast material is applied to the body portion. The cast is easily removed by heating it and, if necessary, manually manipulating it away from the body portion. |