Table of Contents
Which fracture is the most serious?
Compound Fracture This is one of the most severe injuries: A compound or open fracture is when the bone pierces the skin when it breaks. Surgery is usually called for due to its severity and the risk of infection. Treatment for a Compound Fracture: This type of injury is an emergency.
Is a fracture a serious injury?
If you are involved in any type of accident, such as a car crash, you know that your health and well-being can be compromised. While you could suffer a variety of injuries, broken bonesare among the most common.
What does an open fracture mean?
An open fracture is an injury where the fractured bone and/or fracture hematoma are exposed to the external environment via a traumatic violation of the soft tissue and skin. The skin wound may lie at a site distant to the fracture and not directly over it.
Is a broken bone classified as an emergency incident?
A broken bone happens when one of your bones becomes cracked or broken into multiple pieces. It’s also known as a fracture. It can result from a sports injury, accident, or violent trauma. Broken bones usually aren’t life threatening, but they do require immediate medical care.
What is compound or open fracture?
What makes a fracture “compound” or “open” is when the broken bone pierces your skin. If you happen to fall from a ladder and land on your arm, breaking it, you’ll know it’s a compound fracture if you can see the bone. “Simple” or “closed” fractures don’t break through your skin.
Why are open fractures a serious medical condition?
Open fractures pose an immediate risk of infection. In general, the greater the damage is to bone and soft tissues, the greater the risk of infection. A bone infection can be difficult to treat. The patient may require long-term antibiotics and multiple surgical procedures.
How are open fractures diagnosed?
The most common test doctors use to diagnose a fracture is an X-ray. An X-ray is a fast procedure that uses small amounts of radioactive energy to take pictures of your bones and internal structures. For smaller fractures like stress fractures, you may need a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
What is the difference between a compound fracture and an open fracture?
Bone fractures are usually classified as either simple or compound. Simple (or closed) fractures are when there is no break in the skin and therefore no exposure of the bone outside the body. Compound (or open) fractures are when the bone either punctures the skin or otherwise can be seen outside the body.