(15) Musculoskeletal Injuries Flashcards
(21 cards)
When performing a physical examination on a patient with a musculoskeletal injury, remember that:
A. capillary refill is important to check, especially in adult patients.
B. pulselessness and cyanosis in the injured extremity are common and should not alter your assessment and transport priorities.
C.it is necessary to assess the joints above and below any bone injury, and you should assess the bones above and below any joint injury only if those areas have obvious trauma.
D. it is important to obtain a SAMPLE history during or after your physical examination.
D. it is important to obtain SAMPLE Hx during or after the physical exam
During your ongoing assessment of a patient with a bone or joint injury while en route to the hospital, be sure to:
A. recheck the patient’s vital signs every 20 minutes if the patient is stable.
B. remove and reapply any splints if the patient’s distal pulses, motor function, or sensation have deteriorated.
C. palpate the injury site several times to assess if the site is still painful.
D. elevate the extremity if spinal injury is not suspected.
D. elevate the extremity if spinal injury is not suspected
articular cartilage
hyalin cartilage that lines the ends of bones with movable joints
displaced fracture
fracture in which the peices are no longer in normal alignment
glenoid fossa
part of the scapula, is the curve that accepts the head of the humerus
reduce
to put back into normal alignment
traction
to pull along its length
zone of injury
possible area of soft tissue injury that surrounds the point tenderness of a fracture
the best indicator of an underlying fracture is
point tenderness
comminuted fracture
fracture with more than 2 peices
oblique fracture
fracture at an angle across the bone
transverse fracture
fracture straight across the bone
subluxation
partial dislocation
sprain
stretching or tearing of ligaments of a joint
strain
stretching or tearing of muscle fibers
splint an ankle with SAM splint
Figure 8 then a second SAM in U
Your patient has a severe angulated femur fracture. On your initial assessment of the injury site, you note that the patient has diminished sensation distally and weak pulses. The patient is in extreme pain and screaming loudly. You apply manual traction to the leg and straighten the injured leg out as much as you can. The patient notes some relief with this maneuver. Just before placing the hare traction splint, your partner notes that the patient has no feeling in her toes and the dorsalis pulse has disappeared. Your NEXT action should be to:
A. rotate the leg medially, attempting to take pressure off the femoral artery.
B. finish applying the traction splint, as that will free your hands up.
C. rotate the leg laterally, as the fractured bone may be pinching the femoral artery off.
D. attempt to reposition the leg manually by adding additional traction, thus attempting to pull the fractured bone heads apart and placing the leg in its natural position.
D. attempt to reposition the leg manually by adding additional traction, thus attempting to pull the fractured bone heads apart and placing the leg in its natural position.
Aside from the pain it causes, when is a dislocation of MOST concern?
A. When it involves tear of blood vessels
B. When a bone has come through the skin
C. When it involves the shoulder
D. When it involves the elbow
A. when it involves the tearing of blood vessels
A 57-year-old male fell 20 feet while setting up holiday lights on his roof. He impacted the ground feet first and has suffered open fractures to both tibias, with both bones protruding through the skin. Your assessment reveals him to be responsive to painful stimuli. His airway is open, his breathing is rapid, and his radial pulse is weak. The skin is cool and diaphoretic. Vital signs are pulse 132 beats/min, respirations 24 breaths/min, and blood pressure 106/90 mmHg. According to family, the patient has no pertinent medical history. Your partner is providing positive pressure ventilation. At this point in the patient’s care, it is a priority for you to:
A. Look for other injuries
B. Immobilize the fractures
C. Notify the hospital
D. Cover the patient with a blanket
A. look for other injuries
A female lifeguard fell 10 feet from her chair and now has deformity, swelling, and ecchymosis to her right lower leg. The leg also is rotated medially. Another lifeguard has taken and is maintaining manual cervical spine motion restriction. As your partner conducts the primary assessment and finds no life threats or disturbances in her mental status, you should perform which action first?
A. Manually stabilize the lower right leg
B. Ready the traction splint for application
C. Align the leg in a neutral position
D. Check the right foot for pulses and motor ability
A. Manually stabilize the lower leg
An alert and oriented auto mechanic had his right thigh pinned between the bumpers of two cars. Assessment findings include deformity and swelling to the right hip area and mid-thigh, along with ecchymosis and swelling to the right knee. The patient complains of excruciating pain to the right leg. Which set of instructions given to other EMTs on the scene would be appropriate?
A.”Check for a pedal pulse and then carefully move the patient to the stretcher for transport.”
B. ”We need to wrap the right leg in a pressure dressing and then elevate it for transport.”
C. “Let’s provide spine motion restriction precautions now, get the patient in the ambulance, and then provide more care to the leg en route.”
D. ”Let’s put his leg in the traction splint to help align the femur and reduce pain.”
C. “Let’s provide spine motion restriction precautions now, get the patient in the ambulance, and then provide more care to the leg en route.
