Who – age, job, hobbies, hand dominance (if hand/arm involved)
What happened, exact mechanism, force
When/where/why it happened (was it the result of another problem, e.g. collapse?)
Examine for other injuries
Check neurovascular status distally
Look for complications, e.g. compartment syndrome
Include social history and smoking (delays bone healing)
Fracture management stages include (4 R’s):
Resuscitate
Reduce (if displaced) – may be done by open reduction, closed manipulation or traction
Retain (to maintain position while healing occurs) – by internal fixation, external fixation or conservative methods
Rehabilitate
REsuscitate
Advanced trauma life support in life-threatening wounds (see ATLS)
Look for other injuries (don’t get distracted by one obvious injury!) – does the cervical spine need to be immobilised?
REduce
(if displaced)
Open reduction– when anatomical (perfect) reduction is required (e.g. for intra-articular fractures) or associated neurovascular damage
Closed manipulation (may be done in emergency department or require general anaesthesia) –forextra-articular fractures where adequate and acceptable reduction can be achieved
Traction (to aid reduction, analgesia and in patients who are unsuitable for anaesthesia)
(to maintain reduced position while callus forms in ~ 6 weeks)
External fixation– required for: contaminated open wounds, severe open fractures, severe associated soft tissue injury
Internal fixation– required for: comminuted or displaced fractures, intra-articular fractures, bones not able to be reduced by other methods, associated joint incongruity
Intramedullary
Intramedullary nail – for long bone fractures (femur/tibia/humerus)
K-wires (stainless steel pins which can be inserted percutaneously to hold bone fragments together; can be used as temporary fixation for ~4 weeks) – for fracture fragments or for intramedullary fixation of small bones
Extramedullary
Plates and screws – to bridge comminuted fractures, compress simple fractures around joints, support areas of thin cortex or secure tension side of fracture
Conservative immobilisation – can be used for most fractures without above properties, and also to stabilise fractures temporarily in case of delay before reduction/fixation
Cast (circumferential immobiliser), e.g. fibreglass cast, full plaster cast
Brace (supportive device that allows continued function)
Sustained traction:
Collar and cuff arm sling
Skin traction (adhesive strappings around parts of limb distil and proximal to fracture, and weight traction applied to each in opposite directions)
Traction splint
Skeletal traction (pins passed through bone to provide point of traction)
NB: femur and tibia/fibula shaft fractures can be managed conservatively but are usually managed with intramedullary nailing to reduce time non-weight-bearing.
Learn more here…
Learn how to apply a backslab and cast here! Slings, splints and braces are also covered here.
REhabilitate
Physiotherapy to regain function
Consider weight-bearing status of affected lower limb
Non-weight-bearing (leg must not touch floor) – for ~6 weeks in conservatively managed unstable fractures and after fixation with plates
Other aspects to management
For swelling, RIE: Rest, Ice, Elevation
Smoking cessation – delays bone healing
Analgesia (but avoid NSAIDs – they interfere with bone healing)
Antibiotic prophylaxis for open fractures
VTE prophylaxis
Treat the cause of the fracture if necessary, e.g. osteoporosis, fall etc.
Other points
Timings
Callus forms in 6 weeks – temporary fixations (e.g. traction, cast, external fixations, K-wires) removed at this stage
Full fracture healing in 12 weeks
Generally, lower limb bones take twice as long to fully heal as upper limb bones, and young children’s bones heal twice as fast as adult’s bones
Repeat X-rays are performed post-operatively or after cast application
Fractures with a fragment at risk of avascular necrosis due to retrograde blood supply:
Head of femur
Waist of scaphoid
Neck of talus
Specific management of common fractures
Clavicle
Broad arm sling or polysling
Proximal humerus
Collar and cuff sling (applies traction)
Mid-humerus
Collar and cuff sling + U-slab cast, or functional brace
Distal humerus
Above elbow backslab/cast
Colles’ fracture
Closed manipulation under haematoma block then Colles’ backslab/cast (below elbow backslab/cast with wrist flexed and ulnar deviated) applied
Scaphoid
Futuro splint ± thumb extension, or thumb spica splint/cast if definite fracture
Neck of femur (intracapsular)
Displaced >60 years → total hip replacement/hemiarthroplasty Undisplaced/displaced <60 years → cannulated screws
Neck of femur (extracapsular)
Intertrochanteric → dynamic hip screw/gamma nail Subtrochanteric → intramedullary nail
Femur/tibia shaft
Intramedullary nail
Lateral malleolus (Weber A)
Below knee backslab/cast or aircast boot or stirrup brace (full weight-bearing)
Bimalleolar, trimalleolar or lateral malleolar fractures that disrupt the syndesmosis (i.e. Weber C and some Weber B)
NB: compartment syndrome is a rise in pressure in a myofascial compartment. It causes pain out of proportion to the injury and is exacerbated by passive stretching of the muscles within the compartment. The treatment is urgent fasciotomy.
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