Week 9: Trauma P2 Flashcards
What are the different types if limb injury?
- compound fracture (open)
- closed fracture
- dislocation
- strain
- sprain
- degloving
- amputations
What is a compound fracture (open)?
A fracture in which bone protrudes through an open wound
What is a closed fracture?
A fracture where the skin remains unbroken
What is a dislocation?
Where the surface of a joint is not in continuity
What is a strain?
the overstretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon
What is a sprain?
The overstretching or tearing of ligaments at a joint
Within an assessment what are you looking for?
- inspect each limb for injury
- look for deformity, redness, swelling, paleness, threatened skin and wounds
- compare respective limbs
What are you feeling for in an assessment?
- patients skin temp distal to injury
- assess motor, sensation and circulation in all limbs
- feel limbs for crepitus, tenderness or abnormality
- compare respective limbs
What are some red flags within the assessment?
- pain
- pallor of limb distal to injury site
- paralysis
- changes in sensation
- abnormal movement
etc
What are the two different types of splint?
Traction and box splint
What is a traction splint for?
Mid-shaft femoral fractures
What is a box splint for?
Forearm, foot, ankle, tibia/fibula and knee fractures as well as relocated knees
Define a fall
A fall is when an individual finds him or herself involuntarily on the ground floor, or lower level
What does a neck of femur fracture present as?
Shortening and external rotation of the uninjured leg with pain in the hip and knee
What are neck of femur fractures at risk for due to lying on the ground for a Long time?
- pressure ulcers
- dehydration
- hypothermia
What are some risk factors of a neck femur fracture?
intrinsic:
- gaining process/dementia
- medical conditions
- excessive alcohol
Extrinsic::
- rugs, ill fitting footwear etc
What is the assessment and management for a neck of femur fracture?
- assess CABCD
- primary trauma assessment with pmhx, 12 lead ECG, system review, hx of fall, mobility assessment
What should you do with a compound fracture?
Apply a saline soaked dressing and cover with an occlusive layer
In an amputation/degloving what should the main priorities be?
- immobilising partially amputated limbs
- dressing injured limb to avoid further contamination
- apply a line soaked dressing covered with an occlusive layer
What should you do with an amputation?
- clear of gross contamination
- cover with moist dressing
- placed in a sealed plastic bag
bag placed over ice
Define wound
A wound is a break in the continuity of the skin
What is a haemorrhage?
The loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel
How is arterial bleeding presented?
- spurting blood
- pulsating flow
- bright red colour
How is venous bleeding presented?
- steady, slow flow
- dark red colour
How is capillary bleeding presented?
- slow, even flow
What is the stepwise approach for an external mild/moderate haemorrhage?
- direct pressure
- consider elevation depending on injury
- consider indirect pressure
What is the stepwise approach for an external catastrophic haemorrhage?
-CAT torurniquet for limbs
- CELOX gauze for torso and limbs
What is the mnemonic for falls?
S- symptoms prior to fall and at the time of the fall
P- previous falls, fear of falling, near falls
L- location of the fall
A- activity they were undertaken when they fell
T- time of day
