LIMB INJURY Flashcards
What is a fracture?
A discontinuity in the mechanical integrity of the cortex of a bone
What is a compound fracture?
When skin is broken and broken bone is exposed to the air
What is a stable fracture?
When sections of the bone remain in alignment with the fracture
What is a pathological fracture?
When bones break due to abnormalities within the bone e.g. tumour, osteoporosis, Paget’s disease
Which cancers metastasise to the bones?
Prostate
Kidney
Thyroid
Breast
Lung
What are fragility fractures?
Fractures that occur due to weakness in the bone usually due to osteoporosis
They often occur without appropriate trauma usually required to break a bone
How can you predict the risk of a fracture over the next 10 years?
Using the FRAX tool
How do we measure bone mineral density?
DEXA scan to measure the T score at the hip
What T score is osteopenia and osteoporosis?
Normal more than -1
-1 to -2.5 is osteopenia
<-2.5 is osteoporosis
What imaging should all fractures get?
2 XR views
ABCs approach to looking for fractures on an XR?
Adequacy and Alignment
Bone - fractures
Cartilage - joint space widened or distorted?
Soft tissues - effusions or swellings
What are the types of complete fractures?
Transverse
Spinal
Oblique
Comminuted
Segmental
What are the types of incomplete fractures?
Bowing
Buckle
Greenstick
What is a transverse fracture and what mechanism causes it?
A fracture perpendicular to the long axis of the bone
Occurs due to tension of the bone
What is a spiral fracture and what mechanism causes it?
A severe oblique fracture with rotation along the long axis of the bone
Occurs due to torsion forces
What is an oblique fracture and what mechanism causes it?
Fractures that like obliquely to the long axis of the bone
From compressive forces
What is a segmental fracture?
When there is more than 1 fracture along a bone
What is a comminuted fracture and what mechanism causes it?
This is similar to a segmental fracture where the bone has been broken in two or more places, but the break is more of a shatter, resulting in several different bone fragments.
Occurs due to high energy force
What is an avulsion fracture?
This occurs when a small piece of bone that is attached to a ligament or tendon gets drawn away from the main part of the bone. This is common in joints such as the ankles, elbows, and hips.
How can you categorise fractures?
Displaced Fracture vs Non-Displaced Fracture
Closed Fracture vs open fracture
What is a bowing fracture
Bowing fractures are incomplete fractures of tubular long bones in paediatric patients as they have some elasticity to their bones (especially the radius and ulna)
What is a buckle fracture?
A buckle fracture occurs when one side of the bone bends or is compressed but the other side remains intact.
Seen in paediatrics
What is a greenstick fracture?
when a bone bends and breaks, but doesn’t break into two separate pieces
Usually seen in paediatrics
What is a Salter-Harris fracture?
A fracture involving the growth plate in paediatric patients
What classification system can be used for open fractures?
Gustilo and Anderson classification system
Outline the Gustilo and Anderson classification system?
Type 1: <1cm wound and clean
Type 2: 1-10cm wound and clean
Type 3A: >10cm wound and high-energy, but with adequate soft tissue coverage
Type 3B: >10cm wound and high-energy, but with inadequate soft tissue coverage
Type 3C: All injuries with vascular injury
What are the 3 stages to managing a fracture?
Reduction
Hold
Rehabilitation
What is fracture reduction?
Restoring the anatomical alignment of a fracture q
What are the 4 reasons for reducing a fracture?
Tamponade of bleeding at fracture site
Reduction in traction on the surrounding soft tissues which will reduce the swelling
Reduction in traction along traversing nerves reducing the risk of neuropraxia
Reduction of pressures on transversing blood vessels
What are the 2 ways a fracture can be reduced?
Closed - manual manipulation of bones
Open - surgical. Usually followed by internal fixation
How are fractures immobilised?
Splints
Casts = plaster of Paris or loghtweaight cast
Internal - Nails and screws and plates
Collar, cuff sling
When might a fracture need a traction splint?
When there is strong muscular pull across the fracture site which makes the fracture unstable e.g. subtrocganteric NOF or pelvic fractures
What is an ‘above knee’ plaster?
This is when the plaster crosses over both above and below the damaged joint
Used when there is risk of axial instability as it prevents the limb rotating on its long axis
What is the main complications of internal fixation?
Osteomyelitis
How should you manage an open fracture?
Urgent realignment and splinting of Assess and document the neurovascular status following any realignment or reduction.
Broad-spectrum antibiotic cover should be administered and a tetanus vaccination is required if the patient is not fully up-to-date with their vaccination.
Photograph the wound and remove any gross debris. Dress the wound with a saline-soaked gauze. - this should be done within 6 hours of injury
Ensure definitive skeletal stabilisation; if soft tissue coverage is required, this should happen within 72 hours, or as guided by plastic surgeon advice.
If there is vascular compromise, this needs immediate surgical exploration by vascular surgery.
What is the rehabilitation stage of managing a fracture?
Intensive PT following fracture management to prevent muscle wasting and reduce joint stiffness
It starts immediately after the fracture!
Local complications of fractures?
Non-union
Mal-union
Ulcers
Muscle wasting
Joint stiffness
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Painful scar
Infection
Nerve injury
Compartment syndrome
Contractures
Arthritis
Systemic complications of fractures?
Bedsores
Pneumonia and hospital acquired infections
DVT and PE
Systemic inflamamtory response/fat embolism
Haemorrhage leading to shock and potentially death
Chronic pain
Complex regional pain sundrome
What are operative treatment options for fixation of a fracture?
Internal fixation:
Intramedullary - kirshner wires, nails
Extramedullary - plate, screws, cerclage wires
External fixation:
E.g. Circular frames, hybrid frames
What is “bag of bones” treatment?
A conservative treatment method where you accept the displacement of the bony fragments. There is a brief stage of immobilisation following by early mobilisation
Used when bone quality or fracture pattern was not sufficient to gain stable fixation e.g. in the elderly
What is the most common fracture in the elderly?
NOF
Aetiology of NOF #?
In the elderly it’s usually low energy e.g. falls
In younger pt its high energy such as RTAs
Outline the blood supply to the neck of femur?
Retrograde blood supply from the medial femoral circumflex artery which lies on the neck of femur
30 day mortality of NOF #?
12 month mortality?
10%
Up to 30% at 12 months
How soon should surgery be performed on NOF #?
Within 48 hours
What are the 2 broad categories of NOF #?
Intra-capsular
Extra-capsular - can be trochanteric or subtrochanteric
What is the Garden classification?
A classification system for intra-capsular fractures
Outline the Garden classification?
1 - non-displaced and incomplete
2 - non-displaced but complete
3 - partially displaced but still with bony contact, but complete
4 - fully displaced and complete
In which levels of Garden classification is blood supply disruption most common for intracapsular NOF #?
Gardner type 3 and 4 as these are displaced
Examination findings for NOF #?
Shortened, abducted, externally rotated leg
Unable to straight leg raise
Pain on internal and external rotation
(Remember to check neurovascular status of the whole lower limb)
How are undisplaced intracapsular fractures managed?
Internal fixation
How are displaced intracapsular NOF # managed?
hemiarthroplasty
or total hip replacement if good baseline i..e can walk independantly outside with no more than a stick, not cognitively impaired and medically fit for procedure
Why are extracapsular NOF # managed differently to intracapsular NOF #?
These leave the blood supply to the head of the femur intact so the head of femur does not need to be replaced
How are intertrochanteric NOF # managed?
Dynamic hip screw
How are subtrochanteric NOF # managed?
Intramedulalry device
How are hemiarthroplasty and total hip replacement different?
Hemiarthroplasty = replacing the head of the femur but leaving the acetabulum in place. Cement is used to hold the stem of the prosthesis in the shaft of the femur.
Total hip replacement = replacing the head of the femur and the socket. Better for pt who can walk independantly and are fit for surgery.
What is a pelvic ring fracture and what causes it?
When 1 part of the pelvis fractures another part will also fracture as it is in a ring
Most commonly occur from high energy blunt trauma e.g. RTA
Why are pelvic fractures managed as trauma?
As they often lead to significant intra-abdominal bleeding which can lead to shock and death
They can also lead to neurological deficit, urogenital trauma dn bowe injury
What is a sesamoid bone?
a small bone found embedded within a muscle or tendon near joint surfaces
E.g. patella embedded in quadriceps tendon
How can patella fracture occur?
Directly injured e.g. blow to knee
Indirectly e.g. quadriceps forcefully contract against a block to knee extension
How does a patella fracture present?
Swelling
Bruising
Pain around knee
Palpable gap in knee
May be diffiuclty to do straight leg raise
What is a stress fracture?
A fracture that occurs due to repeated mechanical stress
Where is the most common site of a metatarsal stress fracture?
The 2nd metatarsal shaft
Whats the most common site for a fracture in the foot?
5th proximal metatarsal
What is a pseudojones fracture? what are jones fractures?
Pseudojones: A proximal avulsion fracture of the 5th metatarsal. More common
Jones: a transverse fracture at the metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction - much less common
Whats the least commonly fractured metatarsal?
The 1st metatarsal
Whats the likely mechanism of injury for a pseudo-jones fracture?
Inversion injury of the ankle
Presentation of metatarsal fractures?
Pain and bony tenderness
Swelling
Antalgic gait