Liston's Splint – a Forgotten First Aid Technique

The effective immobilisation of fractures has always been an important aspect of prehospital care. A fractured femur is a serious injury which can result in significant pain, haemorrhage, and tissue damage, but these complications can all be minimised by splinting. This can best be achieved with a traction splint, which is standard equipment in all modern ambulance services. However, in rural and remote Australia, or in the developing world, trained bystanders need a method for handing a fractured femur while awaiting professional help. Paramedics may need an alternative to the traction splint, in situations of mass casualty disasters. A method which is suited to these scenarios was first described by Robert Liston in 1846, and was subsequently adapted for first aid use. Liston was a Scottish born surgeon, whose work in the pre-anaesthetic era is regarded as remarkable. Liston’s splint formed part of the armamentarium of first aid from 1878 to 1982, and its role in contemporary prehospital care should be reconsidered.