Everyday we see many different patients, all with unique concerns and issues. As practitioners who treat people with physical impairments of all the different body parts, Certified Orthotists often are required to create new and innovative solutions. One example is the case of baby Christopher in Chicago that our colleague, Stewart Young C.O.(c), C.Ped.(c) had the opportunity to treat.
Christopher was born missing several ribs on either side of his body. The ribs work to support the chest wall and protect the lungs and heart. Without the ribs, the baby's chest wall collapsed in and he required a respirator to survive. Christopher was lucky as a couple of weeks earlier, his doctor had seen a presentation from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto about a special orthotic device that had been designed for a baby with a similar condition. When the Certified Orthotists in Chicago were not able to create such a device, Christopher's doctor called Stewart to see if he could go to Chicago and help with Christopher's treatment.
After Stewart had the opportunity to assess Christopher, he was able to design a device that would address the unique issues. Stewart created a special plastic protector for the chest area that was held in place with strapping. The part of the treatment that was unusual was that the support had to protect the chest from outside forces like the ribs do and prevent the chest wall from caving in when Christopher took a breath. Stewart used a special material, DuoDERM, that stuck to the inside of the brace and also to Christopher's skin. The rigid plastic held the chest wall out in place and the baby was able to breathe on his own.
Christopher was able to leave the hospital a couple of weeks after getting the vest. Several weeks later, as Christopher's muscles got stronger, the vest was trimmed down and when he was strong enough to breathe on his own, he did not have to wear the device at all. Thinking of solutions to new and unique problems is what we do as Certified Orthotists, caring for people is what we do as part of the healthcare team.
