ICL 8.4: Fractures & Dislocations Flashcards
what is a closed vs. open fracture?
closed = skin is intact; no risk for infection (:
open = skin is not intact; somewhere the bone popped through the skin
what are the types of open fractures?
grade 1-3
grade 1 = <1 cm, not a big puncture
grade 2 = 2-10 cm wound
grade 3 = giant wounds bigger than 10 cm; high energy accident like motorcycle or farm machinery
A = adequate soft tissue coverage
B = requires flap coverage; some muscle and skin is missing and you can’t get the bone covered
C. = associated vascular injury; you start thinking about amputation off the bat
what is the terminology used to describe the location of a fracture?
- diaphyseal = mid-shaft
- metaphyseal = near the joint but not involving it
- epiphyseal = right at the joint level
why is important to know if the joint is involved in a fracture?
the joints are where you move and you want to get the bone back together as close as possible
so if there’s a gap in the bone at a joint surface more than 2 mm, your chances of getting arthritis go up a TON
what is a simple fracture?
the bone just snapped in half; clean break not a lot of pieces
lower energy injury
what is a comminuted fracture?
multiple fragments of bone so it will be harder to fix and inherently unstable
you probably need surgery to fix…
usually due to higher energy injuries (which is why the bone got shattered into many pieces) –> all the energy gets dissipated through the muscle and skin around it which will effect the nerves and arteries in the area too so everything gets messed up
what is angulation in relation to a fracture?
is the bone straight?
varus = bent inward towards midline (angle faces the midline)
ex. bowlegged
valgus = bent outward away from the body
ex. knock kneed
what is displacement in relation to a fracture?
are the two ends of the bone still touching?
what do you doing during a PE of a fracture?
- soft tissue condition
- pulses present?
- sensation?
- motor function?
what are the different ways you can evaluate fractures?
- radiographs
initial study, cheap, adequate 99% of the time
- CT
greater detail of fragmentation; usually for fractures around joints
- MRI
you can see bone bruises, stress fractures, bone vascularity
what is a Salter Harris fracture?
pediatric fractures involving the growth plate –> growth plate is the weakest part of the bone
kids bones are softer and will sometimes bend and not actually break
I = through the growth plate
II = metaphyseal extension (most common)
III = epiphyseal fragment
IV = metaphysis and epiphysis
V = crush injury (the worst)
SALTER = straight across, above, lower, through, erasure of growth plate (crush)
what 3 types of vessels supply blood to bones?
- nutrient arteries = in the middle of the bone, go into the intramedullary canal and run the length of the bone
- epiiphyseal/metaphyseal vessels
- periosteal vessels
what is a nutrient artery?
main blood supply of the diaphyseal cortex = the thick hard part of the outside of the bone
they enter the bone at the nutrient foramen
they form a network of arteries
what are periosteal vessels?
they supply 20% of the diaphyseal cortex = the thick hard part of the outside of the bone
what are epiiphyseal/metaphyseal vessels?
they supply blood to the actual joint surface of the bone
what are the stages of fracture healing?
- hematoma
- inflammation
- repair
- remodeling
what happens during the inflammation phase of fracture healing?
this is the first stage after fracture
and involves large hematoma formation (1st week)
macrophages, neutrophils, platelets release cytokines =
PDGF, TNF-Alpha, TGF-B, interleukins
which promote angiogenesis and vasodilation
then mesenchymal cells migrate to fracture site and differentiate and proliferate into fibroblasts and osteoblasts –> COX-2 important in this cascade (NSAIDs)