Open Fractures Traumatic injuries are serious and sometimes they could be life-threatening. During high-impact trauma, the chances of open fracture increase. Such conditions are more critical than closed fractures and require emergency treatment. In this post, we are going to discuss open fractures along with their causes and the type of treatment given. Before we move ahead, let us have a brief look at what open fractures are.
What is an Open Fracture? Also known as a compound fracture, an open fracture is a condition where the fractured bone is exposed to the external environment. This means the broken bone comes out of the skin while damaging surrounding soft tissues and causing a wound. Urgent assessment of open fractures is required plus, it is also important for the orthopedic team to manage the condition by diagnosing the locations where the fracture has occurred. For fracture fixation, different types of Orthopedic implants may be used including Orthopedic Locking Plate, Antegrade Femoral Nail, PFNA Intramedullary Interlocking Nail, and Cannulated Screws.
What are the Causes of Open Fracture? The most common cause of open fracture is high-impact trauma as in the case of car accidents, falling from a height, accidents resulting due to blasts, and gunshot injuries. The chances of getting an open fracture due to low-impact trauma are very less and it won't be wrong to say that open fractures generally don't occur due to low-impact trauma. Any fracture can be open, while the most common locations where open fractures occur include the forearm, tibia, phalanges, metacarpal, and ankle.
Symptoms of Open Fracture Open fractures are very painful and are often characterized by bleeding, exposure of the fractured bone to the external environment, damage to the soft tissues, and other related skin injuries.
Diagnosis Quick diagnosis of open fractures is necessary as the patient with open fracture enters the hospital in a critical state. Thus, a quick examination by a team of professionals is a must. Diagnosis of open fracture often involves cleaning of the wound, wound debridement, and quick X-ray examination to identify the locations where the fracture has occurred. The primary goal of the doctors is to move the patient with open fracture out of danger first and rest could be done later.
Treatment of Open Fracture The first line of treatment in case of open fractures often involves wound cleaning and debridement to reduce the chances of infection. Plus, antibiotics may also be administered to lower down the risk of infection. Besides this, the doctors may also give pain-relieving medication. Now, when it comes to the fixation of fractures, surgery will be required and it will be carried out after stabilizing the patient. The surgical fixation of open
fractures often involves the use of trauma implants including Bone Screws, External Fixator System, Titanium Elastic Nail, and PFNA Nail. Orthopedic implants hold fractured bone fragments into their correct anatomical position while allowing proper healing. Siora Surgicals Pvt. Ltd. is a reliable Orthopaedic Products Manufacturer having its manufacturing unit in Sonipat, Haryana. The company offers a huge range of ISO standard orthopaedic devices that are supplied to many clients present nationally and internationally.
Contact Information: Siora Surgicals Pvt. Ltd. Address: WZ- 1, 2nd Floor, Phool Bagh, RamPura New Delhi, India Mobile: +(91)-9810021264 Email: online@siora.net Source: http://club41.synergize.co/open-fractures-what-you-need-to-know/