Starting on a gum wrapper - development of the SAM splint

Nation's Business, July, 1992 by Merritt Des Voigne

As a young medical student, Dr. Sam Scheinberg, in a moment of levity, promised his new wife, Cherrie, that one day he'd make her rich. Today it appears he may soon keep his promise--though not from the proceeds of his work in medicine.

Scheinberg, 50, is an orthopedic physician with a practice spread among three northern Oregon coastal towns. He was an Army doctor in Vietnam, and he came home convinced there had to be a better way to protect sprained, strained, and broken parts of the human body than by using the long-accepted splinting hardware that still dominates the market With most conventional splints, the injured limb must be totally enclosed within the splint, which puts extra pressure on the point of injury and can cause additional pain. In effect, the limb is forced to conform to the shape of the splint.

To solve the problem, Scheinberg came up with an idea for a new kind of splint, one he has given the trademarked name SAM (for structural aluminum malleable).

The SAM splint has won some impressive endorsements: The U.S. Army designated it "the splint of choice" in the Gulf War. Climbers take it to the Himalayas; New York police stock it in their emergency kits; veterinarians apply it to the limbs of injured animals. First Lady Barbara Bush wore one on her injured leg after a sledding accident.

During the years that he nurtured his concept, Scheinberg knew he wanted a single splint that could be applied in many ways, was simple to use, sturdy, and reusable, and wouldn't appear on an X-ray.

While a resident in orthopedics at the University of Louisville, Scheinberg recalls, he was watching TV one evening "and unconsciously playing with this little aluminum part of a gum wrapper I wrapped it around my pinky a couple of times and noticed I couldn't bend my finger."

Why? "I concluded it couldn't have been the strength of the little gum wrapper because it was too thin," Scheinberg says. "It had to be the shape, the contour of the wrapper." The aluminum held the finger immobile because Scheinberg had molded it to the finger's shape.

Scheinberg next tried a thin piece of aluminum covered with adhesive tape, he says, and, "not completely surprised, I found the thing worked."

In its standard form (there's a smaller version for fingers), the SAM splint measures 4 1/2 inches by 36 inches. It is reusable and waterproof, and it can be cut with ordinary household scissors. It consists of a piece of very thin, malleable aluminum covered with closed-pore foam, which will not absorb moisture.

Rather than borrow money--"I understood the risks," he says; "I didn't want to see anyone else get hurt"--Scheinberg used his own funds to get the splint off the ground. He incorporated in 1985, naming his new company Seaberg, rather than Scheinberg, so that if the company failed, his name wouldn't be tarnished. He gave shares of Seaberg Corp. stock in exchange for services; those shareholders include the attorney who helped set up the company and handled patent applications, and a couple of mechanical engineers--one of whom is Jerry Fild, a former patient who designed the original production machinery

Initially the splint was put together by hand by four employees in a shed in the tiny Oregon seacoast village of Yachats. Scheinberg now has 12 employees working in a small factory on Yaquina Bay in Newport.

Scheinberg first tested the splint at the three hospitals where he works. He put his Oregon medical practice on hold--sometimes for days--while he traveled the country making contacts. He began selling small quantities of splits to the Defense Department in December 1986. That year's sales of only $50,000 left the fledgling company deep in debt. But these days he smiles broadly when he speaks of the 1991 sales figure: $3 million.

Cherrie Scheinberg entered the business by appearing at trade shows, medical and veterinarian conventions, and outdoor-equipment expositions throughout the country, introducing the product and seeking out reliable distributors--now the key marketing strategy of their enterprise.

Today, the splint is sold worldwide. In the U.S., 350 companies buy it. Scheinberg now devotes most of his time to his medical practice, leaving his company's operations in the hands of his vice president and general manager, Patty Louisiana. And he is closer than ever to keeping his long-ago promise to his bride.