According to statistics, almost every person at least once in a life has encountered such an injury as a fracture. In the United States of America, about seven million cases are recorded daily, in Russia - all nine million. This pathology most often makes people turn to traumatologists, and during the holidays and icy conditions, the number of patients becomes even greater: a state of intoxication and falls provoke dislocations, fractures of limbs. First aid in this case can not only minimize the likelihood of complications, but also save a person’s life.
The most common causes of fractures
The cause of a fracture of the limbs, as a rule, is trauma, that is, an external impact that is more powerful than the strength of the bone area to which it is directed. Part of the fractures occurs as a result of a disease: the integrity of the bone can be violated without external influence, but only because of the pathological weakness of the bone tissue. Pathological fractures may result from bone tuberculosis, severe osteoporosis, cancer (the spread of metastases or the direct localization of malignant neoplasms in bone tissue) or myeloma.
Brief statistics on bone damage
More often, fractures occur in young men and young men. Representatives of the stronger sex work in industries where there is a risk of injury, drink alcohol more often, which are associated with drunken fights and drunk driving, like extreme sports. Most often, men have dislocations and fractures of the limbs (first aid should be provided immediately), ribs and bones of the facial section of the skull.
In women, due to osteoporosis developing with age, the risk of injury increases by 45-50 years. In addition to menopause, a dangerous period is pregnancy and lactation, when the body is deficient in calcium, the center of gravity shifts, and visibility is limited to a large stomach.
Similar injuries are common in childhood. Fractures account for up to 20% of all injuries in children who are inherently active, active and inquisitive.
Classification of Fractures
First aid for fractures of the extremities largely depends on the nature of the damage. There are several criteria for splitting fractures into groups:
- Due to the occurrence: traumatic (the cause was an external effect) or pathological (the internal factors contributed to the fracture: complications of various diseases, deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals)
- In severity: there are fractures with displacement, when bone fragments can injure the surrounding tissue, or without displacement, if bone fragments are held by muscles and tendons. There are also incomplete fractures, which are called chips or cracks.
- By the integrity of the skin: for an open fracture, a superficial wound is characteristic, whereas when closed, bone fragments do not communicate with the external environment.
- In shape and direction of damage: screw-shaped, straight, longitudinal, oblique and transverse fractures.
First aid for fractures: procedure
If fractures of limb bones occur, first aid can halve the likelihood of their complications, and in some cases even save a life. The main thing is that all activities are carried out correctly and in a timely manner.
First aid for fractures of the extremities includes a number of measures aimed at determining the type of fracture (the actions of the person providing first-aid care differ depending on what you have to deal with - open or closed fracture, whether there is pain shock accompanying the injury and others complications) and directly providing the necessary assistance. After that, the victim should be taken to the hospital or the arrival of doctors at the scene should be ensured.
What is the first aid for fractures of the extremities? In general, assistance is provided as follows:
- An objective assessment of the condition of the victim should be given, verify the presence of a fracture and determine the further course of action. First aid for fractures of the extremities is carried out only if the patient is already safe.
- If the victim is unconscious and does not breathe, the first thing to do is to resuscitate and bring him to his senses.
- In case of open fractures, it is necessary to first stop the bleeding and treat the wound with an antiseptic to avoid infection, if possible, it is advisable to apply a sterile dressing.
- If medications are available, the injured limb should be anesthetized with an injection of ketorolac (1 ampoule), novocaine (5 ml), or another suitable agent.
- It is necessary to immobilize a limb and call an ambulance. In some cases, it is allowed to independently deliver the victim to a medical facility.
Symptoms and signs of a limb fracture
First aid for fractures of the limbs is provided only if you are convinced that the victim received a fracture, and not some other kind of damage. So, the absolute signs of a fracture of a limb are:
- visible deformation of the damaged area;
- in some cases - impossibility of movement;
- increased mobility, unnatural position of the arm / leg (or their sections);
- superficial wound and visible bone fragments with an open fracture;
- characteristic crunch at the time of impact.
Relative signs of a fracture, i.e., symptoms that in some cases can accompany other injuries, are:
- soreness in the damaged area, which intensifies during movement;
- a hematoma, moreover, throbbing pain indicates that internal bleeding continues;
- swelling and swelling in the area of the injury, which can develop as early as 15 minutes after the fracture;
- limitation of mobility, damaged limb, as a rule, does not function at all or partially.
Assessment of the condition of the victim
First aid for an open fracture of a limb, closed damage, cracks or other injuries involves examining the victim, assessing his condition and the situation around the scene. If the danger is still present, people should be evacuated to a safe place and only then proceed with the provision of first aid.
The victim must be examined for additional damage, bleeding, potential injuries, to check the main indicators of vital functions: the presence and frequency of the pulse and breathing, the ability to respond to external stimuli (light, sound). If a person is conscious, contact should be made with the victim, ask about complaints, localization and the nature of pain.
What is important, it is unacceptable to move the injured person unless absolutely necessary and without imposing transport tires on the injured limb.
The unconscious state of the victim
First aid for fractures of the extremities involves bringing a person to consciousness and conducting resuscitation if necessary. So, you should provide the victim with peace and try to bring the person into consciousness with the help of external stimuli - patting on the cheeks, cold water or cotton wool soaked in liquid ammonia and brought to the nose.
Resuscitation measures
If there is no breathing or pulse, artificial respiration and heart massage should be done. For successful resuscitation, the victim must lie on a solid surface. With one hand you should hold your chin, with the other - pinch your nose. The victim’s head is thrown back slightly, his mouth should be open. The person assisting takes a deep breath, and then exhale smoothly, tightly gripping the victim's mouth. Artificial respiration should be carried out through a napkin or a special device. Exhalation into the victim’s mouth should be done every four seconds until spontaneous recovery is restored.
Indirect cardiac massage is carried out as follows: the first aid person places his hands crosswise on the victim’s chest and presses (the chest should fall four to five centimeters). 30 shocks should be made, and then change the compression to ventilation. Resuscitation measures are carried out in a ratio of thirty shocks to two breaths.
Traumatic shock: procedure
In case of traumatic shock, first aid for fractures of the lower extremities (as well as the upper ones) involves stopping bleeding, providing comfortable conditions (for example, in the cold, you should shelter a person to prevent frostbite) and speedy provision of medical care in a hospital. If there are no fractures of the lower extremities, you should raise the victim's legs by 15-30 centimeters.
Bleeding and Wound Treatment
Providing first aid for an open fracture of the extremities involves stopping bleeding and treating the wound. Firstly, the limb should be placed in the correct position and freed from clothing, as increasing swelling in the future may not allow this to be done. Next, you need to apply a tourniquet or tight dressing on the wound (preferably sterile) and treat the edges of the damaged skin with a disinfectant. Be sure to write down the exact time for applying the dressing.
You can give the victim an analgesic to treat pain. Analgin, paracetamol, Nurofen, Ketorol and the like are suitable. In a hospital setting, if necessary, stronger, narcotic painkillers can be used. These include Fentanyl, Nalbuphine, or Promedrol.
Immobilization of a damaged limb
First aid for fractures of the extremities involves the immobilization of the damaged area of the bone. The limb immobility can be provided in several ways: the binding of the damaged lower limb to a healthy one, fixation with improvised means, bandaging the broken arm to the body. If it is not possible to provide transport immobilization with special tires, you can use any flat hard object. The arm or leg should be fixed in a normal physiological position. Be sure to put a cotton-gauze pad between the tire and limb.
When immobilizing, several rules and requirements should be considered:
- the splint should immobilize at least two joints to prevent additional damage to the soft tissues by bone fragments;
- the size of the fixing rail should be comparable with the damaged area;
- immobilization is carried out, as a rule, on top of clothes and shoes, but it is worth removing bulk items from the victim;
- First aid for fractures of the upper limbs (as well as lower ones) is provided with an assistant whenever possible.
After carrying out all the necessary measures for the provision of first aid, you should definitely call an ambulance. The victim will need qualified medical care and care.