© 2004 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine
CASE REPORT
Video illustration of staple gun use to rapidly repair on-field head laceration
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
John W Orchard
South Sydney Sports Medicine, 111 Anzac Parade, Kensington, NSW 2033, Australia; johnorchard{at}msn.com.au
A professional rugby league player sustained a left eyebrow laceration during a match which immediately started to bleed. Within seconds he was taken to the sideline and had the laceration closed with six staples by the team doctor. Bleeding was arrested and he returned to play, taking the ball within 80 s of suffering the initial laceration, and within 40 s of the stapling procedure. This sequence was captured on video and appeared on television. The staples were removed after the match and the wound sutured. Repair of the wound was uneventful. The staple gun allows bleeding lacerations to be closed within seconds and for players to safely and quickly return to play, whilst minimising the risk of blood-borne infection transmission.
Abbreviations: NRL, National Rugby League
Keywords: blood-borne infection; laceration; rugby league; staples; sutures
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Br. J. Sports Med. 2004 38: 387.
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