Fractures Flashcards
What type of fracture is this?
What causes this type of fracture?
What are some major complications of this type of fracture?
How should you treat this fracture?
Fracture of the femoral shaft
High energy injury (e.g. fall from height/RTA) or can be pathological
Blood loss and hypovolaemic shock, fat embolus causing ARDS
Resuscitation, analgesia, splinting, internal fixation
What specific type of analgesia could be used for femoral shaft fractures?
Femoral nerve block
What type of splint can be used for femoral shaft fractures?
Who specifically are they used in? Why?
Thomas Splint
Mostly used in kids as their bones heal faster and so they can tolerate how long they use it for
What type of fracture is this?
This type of fracture can be split into two types, what are they?
Distal femoral fracture
Intra-articular and extra-articular
How do you treat an intra-articular distal femoral fracture?
Anatomical reduction and rigid fixation with plate and screws
How do you treat an extra-articular distal femoral fracture?
Can use Thomas splint
If not too distal can nail
If very distal use plating
What type of fracture is this?
How can this type of fracture be caused?
Which direction of stress is this injury associated with?
What scan is useful to determine the personality of these fractures?
Are these fractures intra or extra-articular? What does this cause?
Proximal tibial fracture
High energy in young, low energy in old
Valgus stress
CT scan
Intra-articular, high chance of post-traumatic arthritis
What are the principles of treatment of proximal tibial fractures?
Anatomical reduction and rigid fixation.
Elevation
What type of fracture is this?
Why should all cases of this type of fracture be monitored overnight?
Are open fractures common here or not?
To what degree of angulation is accepted in this bone?
How good is the affected bone at healing?
Give an example of conservative and operative healing.
Tibial shaft fracture
They have a very high risk of compartment syndrome
Open fractures are very common here
5 degrees
Not good, takes a long time (can be up to a year)
Conservative- plaster casting
Operative- IM nailing, plating or external fixation
What is this fracture known as?
Is it intra or extra-articular?
What usually causes it?
How would you treat it?
Pilon Fracture
Intra-articular
High energy injury, usually a fall from height
External fixation until soft tissue damage settles and then internal fixation
What type of fracture is this?
What other injuries are usually associated?
What other investigation is usually required?
How would you treat it?
Distal tibial fracture
Fractures of spine, pelvis, calcaneus and possibly soft tissue injuries
CT scan
Internal fixation if no soft tissue damage, external fixation if soft tissue damage
What are two examples of ankle fractures which are stable and can be treated conservatively?
Isolated distal fibular fractures
Displaced medial malleolus fractures
What are 3 examples of ankle fractures which cause talar shift?
How should you treat fractures with talar shift? Why?
Bimalleolar fractures
High malleolar fractures
Distal fibular fracture with deltoid ligament rupture
Treat with ORIF- risk of arthritis
What type of fracture is this?
What causes the majority of these fractures?
What risks are associated?
Proximal humeral fracture/Fracture of the surgical neck of humerus
Osteoporosis in the elderly
Brachial plexus, axillay artery/nerve injuries, AVN, non-union
What would be the management of a fracture of the proximal humerus in the following cases…
Elderly patient?
Split into 3 or 4 parts?
Younger patient?
What complications can occur after both conservative or surgical management?
Conservative
Arthroplasty
Internal fixation
Stiffness and rotator cuff dysfunction