New cast designed in Pueblo, device can be worn wet and dry

Plaster and fiberglass, make way for the new kid in town. AmphibianSkin is a 3-D-printed plastic splint being used more and more to cast broken bones, especially in non-weight-bearing areas of the body. Carol Rickman of Pueblo is the first patient in the nation to wear one of these unique exoskeleton devices on a part of the leg, in her case the ankle area. The custom-fit unit was designed by Puebloan Diana Hall, owner of 3DMedScan, under direction from Dr. Ken Danylchuk, Rickman's orthopedic surgeon. "I'm very active and love to swim so I wasn't too excited about the thought of being in a traditional cast for six weeks," said Rickman, who broke her ankle while mowing the lawn. "I asked if I could get a walking splint or something instead." After examining the nature of the break and determining that a 3-D-printed splint would be a suitable option, Danylchuk suggested it to Rickman. "As it was a non-displaced fracture, the doctor said, 'Let's call Diana and see if she can do one for your ankle.' "I knew it had never been used on the leg area before but I was excited to be the guinea pig," Rickman said. After wearing a traditional cast for a few days until the initial swelling subsided, Rickman had her ankle scanned by Hall with assistance from Chris Buynar, a certified athletic trainer with Danylchuk's practice, Maple Leaf Orthopedics. Two days later, Rickman was wearing a perfectly fitted AmphibianSkin, held together by zip ties for quick removal during examinations by Danylchuk. After wearing the splint for five weeks, Rickman has nothing but rave reviews. "This is much lighter than a traditional cast," she noted. "I can swim and shower without having to put plastic over it. It's very convenient." Being waterproof and less cumbersome, however, are but some of the advantages of AmphibianSkin. As the skin can breathe within the splint, there is less irritation and faster healing of any wounds resulting from a traumatic break, Hall said. While Hall can craft AmphibianSkin splints for "any body part that's not weight bearing," a device for the ankle is groundbreaking, due to the fact that the ankle helps support a person's body weight. With the proper long-term study and subsequent data, Hall said there exists a great potential for treating broken bones in weight-bearing areas with the splints. "Carol was on the lighter end on the weight scale so it worked out well," Buynar said. "We will continue working out the schematics of how we can modify the scanning and application to get the splints to bear a person's weight." At present, Hall's company is providing AmphibianSkin splints throughout the Front Range in what she terms "a proof of concept phase." Within six months, she hopes that venture capital will be in place to go nationwide, and eventually worldwide, with this new wave of casting broken bones. "The application options are pretty broad," said Buynar about the splints. "We're seeing a lot of younger athletes as well as active adults" being outfitted with them. "The big positive is that they can continue their training regiment through the recovery process." And as for the unusual name of the product, Hall offered this explanation: "Amphibians are amazing animals, with skin adapted to life both on land and in the water. AmphibianSkin devices also are adapted for both dry and wet use, and are organically and ergonomically patterned to be strong, comfortable and breathable, just as in nature." jpompia@chieftain.com