Summary

In the absence of a Bradford sling, I constructed a simple sling to elevate an infected hand from medical equipment that was readily available on the ward. The results were so successful and the experience so comfortable for the patient that the technique should be explained and made clear for other doctors. In this particular case, a serious side effect was avoided namely infection of nearby indwelling metalwork. The patient contacted us afterwards to say how well he felt, he had been looked after and how comfortable the equipment had been to use during his stay in hospital.