How the bone was broken: from a fall, car accident, blow, during a sporting event? What the wound looked like immediately after the accident and if it continued to get larger? How much blood was lost? If the person required treatment for shock?
Bone is off-white in color and not necessarily the stark white color found in skeleton models. It is ivory in color, like an elephant’s tusk or a tooth.
Bone is off-white in color and not necessarily the stark white color found in skeleton models. It is ivory in color, like an elephant’s tusk or a tooth.
If you have access to a first aid kit or gloves, make sure you put them on to protect yourself from any blood-borne diseases.
Try to place the individual’s head lower than his trunk. The legs may also be elevated only if they are not injured. [10] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Make the person as comfortable as possible. Wrap her in a blanket jacket, or anything available to keep her warm. Check the person’s vital signs. Make sure her pulse and breathing continue to be normal.
The doctor will start IV antibiotics to cover a broad spectrum of bacteria. Each type of bacteria is susceptible to different types of antibiotics. This method of delivery bypasses the gastrointestinal tract and delivers the medication to the cells more quickly. If the person does not remember when his last tetanus shot was, the doctor will err on the side of the caution and administer a shot. Although not painful when injected, a tetanus shot will be sore for up to three days.
Once in the operating room, the surgeon will use antibiotic solutions and saline to clean the wound of debris, pull out badly torn tissue and get the area ready to be stabilized and closed. The broken bone will be aligned with plates and screws used to stabilize the bone while it heals. The area will usually be closed with sutures or with staples if the area is in a large muscle group. These will need to be removed once the wound has healed. A cast or splint may be applied to stabilize the area. The cast may be removable so the wound can be attended or the area may be left open to air and an external stabilization device put in place. An external device uses pins through the leg attached to long stable bars on the outside to keep the area stable. The patient will not be allowed to use the joint below or above the break while the external stabilizer is in place.
Infection rates vary. An open tibial (leg bone) fracture has the highest rate of infection, sometimes between 25 - 50%, which significantly affects healing and restoration of function. [15] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source Infection can be as high as 20% in other severe cases. However, the shorter the amount of time between the injury and medical care, the less likely you are to experience infections.
