Open Fractures – An Educational Guide

Open fractures are serious orthopedic injuries that require immediate medical assessment by orthopedic specialists. These injuries occur because of severe trauma like high-energy car accidents or falling from a significant height. In this post, we will have a detailed discussion on open fractures along with their causes and treatment.

What Are Open Fractures?

Also known as compound fractures, open fractures are when the broken bone pierces the skin and makes direct contact with the external environment. These fractures accompany heavy bleeding because there is always an open wound. In open fractures, the wound occurs because of the sharp end of the broken bone fragment.

The severity of these fractures is very high and hence, they require complicated treatment. The treatment of open fractures is different from that of closed fractures. A team of orthopedic specialists and other medical professionals handle open fractures.

Why Open Fractures Are Serious?

You have read everywhere that open fractures are serious but why? Let us see have a look.

Open fractures mean that the fractured bone protrudes out of the skin. This is one of the factors that make such fractures serious. Besides this, high blood loss can lead to hypovolemic shock. This is why open fractures require urgent assessment.

As internal structures of our body break open in these fractures, they pose the risk of bacterial infection. This is another key reason why such fractures are serious. The infection here occurs because dirt and foreign particles enter the bloodstream through broken skin. If not addressed timely severe or lifelong complications may occur. This is why thorough cleaning of the wound and tissue is necessary during the treatment. Read More.