Many in winter found themselves in a rather unpleasant situation when they fell and broke their arm or leg. This fate in ice is difficult to avoid for both an adult and a child. In the summer, this also often happens, especially in children who fall from trees or horizontal bars and as a result find themselves in a cast. This is probably why the phrase from the well-known movie "Diamond Hand" has become a folk aphorism. And if an accident happened before your eyes? What to do in such a situation? How to alleviate a person’s suffering? Today in our article, we will consider what constitutes first aid for fractures
How to recognize a fracture? To determine which fracture the victim has, it is imperative to consult a traumatologist and take an x-ray. And in order to provide first aid, it is advisable to first make sure that the patient has a fracture. So, what is commonly called a fracture in the medical literature? A violation of the integrity of bone tissue, which occurs due to the fact that the bone is bent by a strong impact, fall or compression under the influence of other bodies or mechanisms, is called a fracture. That is, another body or mechanism can be anything, for example, an iron beam or a plate.
Fracture can be complete or partial, depending on how broken the integrity of the bone. If it is completely broken down to fragments, such a fracture is called complete. If the damage to the bone is partial, then a crack appears - then the fracture is called partial. But you still can’t ascertain the degree of bone fracture without the participation of a traumatologist and radiologist. You can only determine by eye which fracture, open or closed, in the victim.
And with a closed, and with an open fracture, a person experiences acute pain. The fracture site swells, sometimes with a closed complete (comminuted) fracture, you can hear the "crunch" of bone fragments with free movement of the limb. As soon as you have determined that the victim has this particular type of injury, he should be given first aid for fractures.
If the fracture is closed, the injured person's skin is not damaged. Conversely, if the fracture is open, the person has a wound on the skin, from which bones or bone fragments can “stick out”. In addition, bleeding may open, which, in the end, often poses a threat to life. If the wound is not disinfected in time, an infection can get into it and cause a local inflammatory process in the soft tissues.
First aid for fractures. Rules for its provision
First aid for fracture of the ribs is to help the patient ease breathing and give his body the correct position for a while, until the emergency doctors arrived. It is not necessary to apply a pressure dressing! If you provide first aid to a person with an open fracture, you must provide him with peace. It is advisable to lay the injured person on a flat surface. In this case, he will be able to lie without stress. Remember that it is strictly forbidden to remove bone fragments from the wound and push sticking bones into the wound, as this can lead to even greater injury to the victim and cause pain shock. You should then apply a sterile gauze or tissue dressing to the wound. In general, use what is at your fingertips. For this case, a clean towel and a clean handkerchief will do.
If the victim has severe bleeding, he should try to stop it. To do this, apply a tight bandage. If arterial bleeding (blood is scarlet and bright, pours, as if pulsating), a bandage (tourniquet, twisted scarf or belt) is placed above the wound to squeeze the artery. For more than 1.5 hours, the tourniquet cannot be kept, so as not to cause tissue necrosis. If venous bleeding (blood flows without pulsation), the tourniquet is applied below the wound.
First aid for fractures involves the maximum immobility of the injury site. For this, a tire is applied to the patient (a solid object for fixing the fracture). As a tire, you can use wooden boards.
First aid for a closed fracture is practically no different from first aid for an open fracture, except for applying a tourniquet. In addition, it is necessary to make the injury site as stationary as possible and, trying not to cause pain to the injured person, very carefully lay the tire.