Fractures Flashcards
Simple (closed) fracture
Skin is intact
Fracture
A break in the continuity of a bone.
Compound (open) fracture
Skin is broken.
Complicated fracture
Bone is broken and has injured an internal organ (ie lung)
Comminuted fracture
Bone has splintered into multiple pieces.
Impacted fracture
One end of fractured bone is wedged into the interior of the other.
Complete fracture
Bone is broken into two or more pieces
ie. Transverse, oblique spiral, comminuted, avulsion and osteochondral.
Incomplete fracture
The line of fracture does not include the whole cross section of bone.
ie. Greenstick, compression, perforation and stress fractures.
Greenstick fracture
Partially bent, partially broken. Usually in children, especially with rickets.
Depressed fracture
A piece of skull is broken and driven inwards
Epiphyseal separation
Separation between shaft and bone and epiphysis. Occurs in young patients. (Salter-Harris)
Avulsion
Ligament pulls off portion of bone
Osteochondral
Articular cartilage sheared from joint surface, often during dislocation or sprain.
Colles fracture
Transverse fracture of the radius. Fragment rotates and displaces dorsally.
Most common fracture in elderly.
MOI most often FOOSH
Galeazzi
Fracture of radial shady and dislocation of distal radioulnar joint
May result in ulnar nerve lesion.
