Fractures
Compound Fractures
A compound fracture, also known as open fracture, is a fracture of the bone wherein the affected bone penetrates out from the skin and there is laceration of the surrounding soft tissue. A broken bone refers to a fracture, in medical terminology. Bone fractures are quite common, with people experiencing at least two in their lifetime, on an average (Eisenberg, 2007). A fracture occurs when the affected bone is subject to a physical force that is stronger than it can sustain. Age has a lot to do with the susceptibility to fracture, with it occurring quite commonly in children, although it is usually not as complicated as when fractures occur in adults. Older people due to their bones becoming more brittle experience fractures that occur due to falls that would not normally affect younger people (Jonathan Cluett, 2006). Compound fractures usually occur by high impact injuries like sports injuries, heavy falls, and car crashes, and so on. Each individual may experience different symptoms depending on the location and impact of fracture. Common symptoms of any fracture include swelling of the affected area, inability to carry out functions of the injured area, deformity of limb and bruising around the affected area (Jonathan Cluett, 2006). Since compound fractures require immediate treatment, they are generally a more serious form of fracture. Usually, an operation is required to quickly cleanse the area and realign the bone. In addition, because of the higher chances of infection, a compound fracture is more difficult to heal (Jonathan Cluett, 2006). Therefore, on sustaining a compound fracture, it is important to seek early treatment. Once the fracture has been diagnosed trough a physical and x-ray examination, the treatment of a compound fracture involves the realignment of the ends of the fractured bones, and immobilization of the fracture, either by fixing the bone internally or by using external splints. Emergency treatment generally
A compound fracture, also known as open fracture, is a fracture of the bone wherein the affected bone penetrates out from the skin and there is laceration of the surrounding soft tissue. A broken bone refers to a fracture, in medical terminology. Bone fractures are quite common, with people experiencing at least two in their lifetime, on an average (Eisenberg, 2007). A fracture occurs when the affected bone is subject to a physical force that is stronger than it can sustain. Age has a lot to do with the susceptibility to fracture, with it occurring quite commonly in children, although it is usually not as complicated as when fractures occur in adults. Older people due to their bones becoming more brittle experience fractures that occur due to falls that would not normally affect younger people (Jonathan Cluett, 2006). Compound fractures usually occur by high impact injuries like sports injuries, heavy falls, and car crashes, and so on. Each individual may experience different symptoms depending on the location and impact of fracture. Common symptoms of any fracture include swelling of the affected area, inability to carry out functions of the injured area, deformity of limb and bruising around the affected area (Jonathan Cluett, 2006). Since compound fractures require immediate treatment, they are generally a more serious form of fracture. Usually, an operation is required to quickly cleanse the area and realign the bone. In addition, because of the higher chances of infection, a compound fracture is more difficult to heal (Jonathan Cluett, 2006). Therefore, on sustaining a compound fracture, it is important to seek early treatment. Once the fracture has been diagnosed trough a physical and x-ray examination, the treatment of a compound fracture involves the realignment of the ends of the fractured bones, and immobilization of the fracture, either by fixing the bone internally or by using external splints. Emergency treatment generally