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Orthopaedic, Trauma & Prosthetics
OrthoHeal FlexiOH Radial Gutter

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OrthoHeal Orthopaedic, Trauma & Prosthetics

OrthoHeal FlexiOH Radial Gutter

Product Code: OTAP-3190

Ask what angle it holds the knuckles at before you order it.

A light-cured lattice running the radial side of the forearm and hand, holding the index and middle fingers on a retaining strap with the thumb left free. Three size codes, and joint angles worth establishing first.

Sections

Polymer & Light-Cured Casts

Categories

Orthopaedic, Trauma & Prosthetics

Condition

New

Origin

India

Seller Type

Certified Professional Seller

CE & ISO Certified

Global Shipping

Supplier: Medigear

OrthoHeal supplies the FlexiOH Radial Gutter, a light-cured polymer immobiliser that covers the radial side of the forearm and hand, holds the index and middle fingers, and leaves the thumb free. The device arrives flexible, is positioned on the limb, closed on an integrated zip with the digits held by a retaining strap, and cured under a light source to fracture-holding rigidity. Three size codes are offered: S, M and L.

The question this product turns on is not coverage but geometry. Hand immobilisation depends on what the collateral ligaments do at different joint angles: at the knuckle they are taut in flexion and slack in extension. Hence, holding the hand with the knuckles extended lets those ligaments shorten, and the patient cannot make a fist afterwards. Established practice is therefore to hold the knuckles flexed between 70 and 90 degrees with the finger joints beyond them straight, and the wrist slightly extended.

A pre-formed gutter holds whatever angles it was made to hold. The supplied sheet publishes none of them, and on a hand device those angles are the specification rather than a detail. Ask for knuckle flexion in degrees, for whether the joints beyond are held straight or left free to move, and for the wrist angle.

Distributor listings for this variant publish size measurements: finger length 8, 9 and 10 centimetres, wrist circumference 16, 17.5 and 19.5 centimetres, forearm circumference 21, 23.5 and 28 centimetres. Medigear.uk lists the FlexiOH Radial Gutter for UK business buyers and can arrange supply and staff familiarisation.

The FlexiOH Radial Gutter covers the radial side of the forearm and hand, holding the index and middle fingers and the wrist while leaving the thumb and the ulnar digits free. It suits fracture clinics, plaster rooms, hand therapy services and emergency departments treating index and middle metacarpal fractures and phalangeal fractures in those two digits.

Geometry governs the outcome more than coverage does. The collateral ligaments at the knuckle joints are taut when the knuckle is flexed and slack when it is extended. Hence, a hand immobilised with the knuckles straight allows those ligaments to shorten over several weeks, and the patient cannot close the hand when the device comes off. Established practice is the safe or intrinsic-plus position: knuckles flexed between 70 and 90 degrees, the joints beyond them held fully straight, and the wrist extended around 20 degrees. Published hand therapy describes a correctly configured gutter as one maintaining knuckle flexion while allowing protected but full active movement at the finger joints beyond.

A pre-formed device holds the angles it was manufactured with, and the supplied sheet publishes none of them. That makes three figures — knuckle flexion, wrist extension, and whether the joints beyond are held or free — the first things to obtain, ahead of anything about material or appearance.

The open lattice keeps skin washable and inspectable, which matters on a hand in constant use, and the zip means removal needs no cast saw. The conformity documentation, instructions for use and stated indications are issued by the manufacturer and provided by the seller.

Published size measurements, not just letters

Distributor listings for this variant give finger length, wrist circumference and forearm circumference in centimetres against each code. That is more than most sized immobilisers publish, and it means fitting can start from a tape measure.

The thumb stays out

The thumb is left free, so a patient retains pinch and a large part of normal hand use while the index and middle fingers are held. Across several weeks that is the difference between a hand that works and one that does not.

Ulnar digits free as well

The ring and little fingers sit outside the device, so grip is partially preserved and the hand is not shut down entirely for an injury affecting two digits.

Skin reachable between the fingers

The open lattice exposes much of the skin, which matters most in the places hardest to reach — between and under immobilised digits, where maceration and pressure problems concentrate.

Emergency removal by zip

The integrated zip opens the device without a cast saw, so a suspected compartment syndrome can be acted on in seconds with no saw injury risk.

Washable on a part of the body that cannot avoid getting dirty

Hands are used constantly. A device the patient can wash properly is one they are far less likely to work around or remove.

The retaining strap gives a second adjustment point

A strap holding the digits is a separate element from the shell, which offers a route to accommodate change during the immobilisation period, subject to confirming its adjustment range.

The angles named as the thing to ask for

Knuckle flexion, wrist extension and whether the finger joints beyond are held or free are absent from the sheet and decisive for the outcome. This page puts all three first rather than leaving them to be discovered when the device comes off.

Light-cured polymer construction

Supplied as a flexible perforated lattice, positioned on the limb, closed on the zip and cured under a light source to fracture-holding rigidity. Cure time and the light source required are not stated on the supplied sheet.

Radial-side coverage

The device runs the thumb side of the forearm and hand, holding the index and middle fingers. Thumb and ulnar digits are left outside it.

Finger retaining strap

A strap holds the digits into the gutter. Whether it sets a flexion angle or simply prevents lift-out, whether it is adjustable, and whether it releases independently for skin checks are all unstated.

Integrated zip closure

A zip fastens the device and allows opening for inspection, removal and refitting. Whether it runs freely after curing and whether the full length opens are unstated — confirm before first use.

Joint angles not published

Knuckle flexion, wrist extension and whether the joints beyond the knuckle are held straight or left free to move are absent from the supplied sheet. On a hand immobiliser these are the specification. Request all three in degrees.

Open lattice structure

A perforated shell leaving a substantial proportion of skin exposed to air and water.

Washable in wear

The structure and material allow washing and showering during the immobilisation period. Obtain guidance on drying and full immersion from the instructions for use.

Three size codes with published measurements

S, M and L. Distributor listings give finger length 8, 9 and 10 centimetres; wrist circumference 16, 17.5 and 19.5 centimetres; forearm circumference 21, 23.5 and 28 centimetres. Note the uneven gradation at the forearm, where the step from M to L is nearly double the step from S to M.

Handedness not stated

A radial gutter is inherently side-specific. Left and right versions almost certainly exist, but confirm it and confirm the labelling, since three codes then become six stock lines.

Manufacturer background

OrthoHeal, India. The FlexiOH range was developed from 2015 and is distributed through European medical retail channels. Certification position for this variant confirmed at quotation.

The FlexiOH Radial Gutter holds the index and middle fingers, the wrist, and the radial forearm, leaving the thumb and ulnar digits free so the patient keeps a working hand. The open lattice makes the skin between immobilised fingers reachable and washable, and the zip opens the device in seconds without a cast saw. What decides the outcome, though, is geometry. The collateral ligaments at the knuckle shorten if the joint is held extended, and a patient who cannot close the hand afterwards has a worse problem than the fracture. Established practice holds the knuckles flexed between 70 and 90 degrees with the joints beyond them straight, and the supplied sheetspecifiess no angle at all. Ask for knuckle flexion, wrist extension and whether the finger joints are held or free, in degrees and in writing, before anything else. Medigear.uk lists the FlexiOH Radial Gutter for UK business buyers and can arrange a sample quantity and staff familiarisation alongside the quotation.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything buyers need to know about sourcing medical equipment through MediGear.

Because the wrong angles produce a stiff hand that cannot close. The collateral ligaments at the knuckle joints are cam-shaped in their behaviour: taut when the knuckle is flexed, slack when it is extended. Immobilise a hand with the knuckles straight and those ligaments shorten over the weeks, and when the device comes off the patient cannot flex the knuckles to make a fist. Established practice is the safe or intrinsic-plus position — knuckles flexed between 70 and 90 degrees, the finger joints beyond them fully straight, and the wrist extended around 20 degrees. That configuration holds the ligaments at their longest, which is what prevents the contracture.

Not stated on the supplied sheet, which is why this page opens on the question rather than the features. A pre-formed device holds the geometry it was manufactured with, so ask the seller for three figures in writing: knuckle flexion in degrees, wrist extension in degrees, and whether the finger joints beyond the knuckle are held straight or left free. Published hand therapy describes a properly configured gutter as one that maintains knuckle flexion while permitting protected but full active movement at the finger joints beyond, so that last point is worth pressing on.

The radial side: the index and middle fingers, the wrist, and the forearm on that side. The thumb is left outside the device and so are the ring and little fingers. That makes it the geometry for index and middle metacarpal fractures and for fractures of the phalanges in those two digits, which is what distributor listings for this variant describe it as suiting, alongside non-displaced fractures generally. The supplied sheet carries no indication statement, so obtain the instructions for use and check them against your case mix.

Distributor listings for this variant give real figures, which is more than most of this range publishes. Finger length runs 8, 9 and 10 centimetres for S, M and L. Wrist circumference runs 16, 17.5 and 19.5 centimetres. Forearm circumference runs 21, 23.5 and 28 centimetres. Confirm these against the current chart before ordering, because they may have changed, and note one thing about the gradation: the step from M to L at the forearm is 4.5 centimetres against 2.5 centimetres from S to M. A patient falling between medium and large has further to fall than one between small and medium, which is worth knowing when a forearm measures 25 or 26 centimetres.

A strap holds the digits into the gutter. Establish what it does and does not do: whether it holds the fingers at a set flexion or simply prevents them lifting out, whether it is adjustable, and whether it can be released and refastened for skin checks between the fingers. Skin between and under immobilised digits is a common site for maceration and pressure problems, and a strap that cannot be released without disturbing the whole device makes checking it harder than it should be.

By the integrated zip, without a cast saw. If compartment syndrome is suspected the immobilisation must come off completely and immediately, including any padding, with the limb elevated to heart level. Confirm that the zip runs freely after curing, that the full length opens, and that releasing the finger strap is part of the documented removal method. Cover all of it in staff familiarisation rather than working it out under pressure.

Hands swell markedly after injury and the swelling is slow to resolve, so circumference at fitting is not circumference at review. Too tight risks neurovascular compromise and pressure injury across a region with dense and superficial nerve supply. Too loose permits movement at the fracture and lets the fingers shift within the gutter, which undoes the positioning the device exists to provide. Ask how the device accommodates that change, and whether the strap offers useful adjustment range or is effectively fixed once cured.

Documented neurovascular assessment. British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma require clear documentation of peripheral nerve and vascular status after injury, manipulation, cast fitting and surgery, and fitting this device is a cast fitting for that purpose. UK audit work shows the standard is frequently not met, with one hospital audit finding detailed nerve function documented in only a tenth of cases and arterial status missing from more than half. The digital nerves are superficial and specific, and a generic entry recording that everything is intact carries very little information about a hand.

The open lattice leaves a substantial proportion of skin exposed and the material is described as washable, so washing and showering are part of intended use. On a hand this matters disproportionately, because hands are used constantly, get dirty, and a patient who cannot wash properly will find a way around the device. Obtain the manufacturer's guidance on drying, establish whether any liner is used underneath and how it behaves when wet, and issue written patient instructions covering the skin between the immobilised fingers.

Two questions the sheet does not answer, both with stock consequences. A radial gutter is inherently side-specific, because it runs the thumb side of one arm, so left and right versions almost certainly exist — but confirm it, and confirm how they are labelled, because three size codes then become six stock lines and an order placed on size alone arrives half wrong. Separately, request the single patient use position in writing: if reprocessable, expect a defined decontamination method, a cycle limit, and both the zip and the strap to inspect as components.

OrthoHeal is an Indian manufacturer, and the FlexiOH range is distributed through European medical retail channels, which implies CE marking for the variants sold there. No CE marking or UKCA position is evidenced on the supplied sheet for the Radial Gutter, and this page makes no such claim on its behalf. Request the declaration of conformity, certificate scope, instructions for use and current UKCA position from the seller at quotation, and treat all four as conditions of order. Device classification under the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002 is confirmed against the declaration at order.