First aid for limb fractures: step by step description, recommendations and treatment

According to statistics, almost every person at leastonce in a lifetime faced with such an injury as a fracture. In the United States of America about seven million cases are registered daily, in Russia - all nine million. This pathology most often causes people to turn to traumatologists, and during the holidays and the icing of patients it becomes even more: drunkenness and falling provoke sprains and fractures of the extremities. 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 limb fracture is usuallythe trauma becomes, i.e., the external impact, which is more powerful than the strength of the part of the bone to which it is directed. Part of the fracture occurs as a result of any disease: the integrity of the bone can be broken without external influence, but only because of the pathological weakness of the bone tissue. Pathological fractures can result from bone tuberculosis, severe osteoporosis, cancer (spreading metastases, or the direct localization of a malignant neoplasm in bone tissue) or myeloma.

Brief statistics of 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, they often consume alcoholic beverages, with which drunken fights and drunk driving are associated, and they like extreme sports. Most often, men have sprains and fractures of the limbs (first aid should be provided immediately), ribs and bones of the facial region of the skull.

In women due to developing with ageosteoporosis risk of injury increases by 45-50 years. In addition to menopause, a dangerous period is pregnancy and breastfeeding, when the body is deficient in calcium, the center of gravity shifts, and visibility is limited to a large belly.

Similar injuries are common in childhood. The share of fractures accounts for up to 20% of all injuries in children, who by their nature are active, active and inquisitive.

Limb fracture classification

First aid for limb fractures largely depends on the nature of the injury. There are several criteria for the division of fractures into groups:

1. By reason of:traumatic (external influence was the cause) or pathological (internal factors contributed to the change: complications of various diseases, deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals)
2. By gravity:distinguish fractures with displacement, when bone fragments can injure surrounding tissues, or without displacement, if bone fragments are retained with the help of muscles and tendons. There are also incomplete fractures, which are called chipped or cracked.
3. The integrity of the skin: for an open fracture is characterized by a superficial wound, while with a closed bone fragments do not communicate with the external environment.
4. The shape and direction of damage: helical, straight, longitudinal, oblique and transverse fractures.

First aid for fractures: procedure

If there are fractures of the bones of the limbs,first aid can reduce the likelihood of their complications by half, and in some cases even save lives. The main thing is that all activities were carried out correctly and in a timely manner.

First aid for limb fractures includesa number of measures aimed at determining the type of fracture (the actions of a person providing first aid vary depending on what you have to deal with - an open or closed fracture, is there a painful shock and other complications associated with the injury) and help. After that, the victim should be taken to the hospital or the doctors should be brought to the scene of the accident.

How is first aid for limb fractures? In general, the provision of assistance is as follows:

1. It should give an objective assessment of the stateinjured, make sure there is a fracture and determine the next course of action. First aid for limb fractures is performed only if the patient is already safe.
2. If the victim is unconscious and does not breathe, the first thing to do is to take resuscitation measures and bring him to his senses.
3. With open fractures, you must first stop the bleeding and treat the wound with an antiseptic in order to avoid infection, if possible it is desirable to apply a sterile dressing.
4. If medications are available, the affected limb should be anesthetized by injecting ketorolac (1 ampoule), novocaine (5 ml), or other suitable means.
5. It is necessary to immobilize the limb and call an ambulance. In some cases, it is allowed to independently deliver the victim to a medical facility.

Symptoms and signs of limb fracture

First aid for limb fracturesit turns out, only if you were convinced that the victim received a fracture, and not another kind of damage. Thus, the absolute signs of limb fracture are:

• visible deformation of the damaged area;
• in some cases - the impossibility of movement;
• increased mobility, unnatural position of the arms / legs (or their parts);
• superficial wound and visible bone fragments with an open fracture;
• characteristic crunch at the moment of impact.

The relative signs of a fracture, i.e., symptoms that in some cases may accompany other injuries are:

• soreness in the affected area, which increases during movement;
• hematoma, with throbbing pain indicating that internal bleeding continues;
• swelling and swelling in the area of ​​injury that can develop as early as 15 minutes after the fracture;
• limitation of mobility, damaged limb, as a rule, does not function at all or in part.

Assessment of the victim

First aid for an open limb fracture,closed damage, cracks or other injuries involves the examination of the victim, assessment of 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 to provide first aid.

The victim must be inspected forthe presence of additional damage, bleeding, potential injury, check the main indicators of vital functions: the presence and frequency of pulse and respiration, the ability to respond to external stimuli (light, sound). If the person is conscious, you should establish contact with the victim, ask about complaints, localization and nature of pain.

What is important, it is unacceptable to move the victim without the utmost necessity and without the imposition of vehicle tires on the damaged limb.

Unconsciousness of the victim

First aid for limb fracturesinvolves bringing a person into consciousness and conducting resuscitation if necessary. So, one should provide the victim with rest and try to bring the person to consciousness with the help of external stimuli - slapping the cheeks, cold water or cotton wool dipped in liquid ammonia and brought to the nose.

Resuscitation

If there is no breathing and pulse, you need to doartificial respiration and heart massage. For successful resuscitation, the victim must lie on a hard surface. One hand should take up the chin, the other - hold your nose. The victim's head is slightly tilted back, the mouth should be open. The person giving the help takes a deep breath, and then a smooth exhalation, tightly covering the victim's mouth. Artificial respiration should be carried out through a napkin or a special device. An exhalation in the victim’s mouth should be done every four seconds until the restoration of spontaneous breathing.

Indirect heart massage is performed as follows.way: the person providing first aid places his arms crosswise on the victim’s chest and applies pressure (the chest should drop four to five centimeters). You should do 30 pushes, and then change the compression on the ventilation of the lungs. Resuscitation is carried out in a ratio of thirty shocks to two breaths.

Traumatic shock: procedure

When traumatic shock first aid forfractures of the lower extremities (as well as the upper ones) implies stopping the bleeding, providing comfortable conditions (for example, a person should be covered in the cold to prevent frostbite) and speedy medical care in the hospital. If there are no fractures of the lower extremities, you should raise the victim's legs by 15-30 centimeters.

Bleeding and wound healing

First aid for open fracturelimbs involves stopping bleeding and wound treatment. First, it is necessary to give the limbs the correct position and free them from clothes, since the swelling in the future may not allow it to be done. Next, you need to put a tourniquet or a tight bandage on the wound (preferably sterile) and treat the edges of damaged skin with a disinfectant. Be sure to record the exact time of the dressing.

You can give the affected analgesic for investmentthe pains. Analgin, paracetamol, Nurofen, Ketorol and the like will do. In the hospital, if necessary, can be used and stronger, narcotic painkillers. These include Fentanyl, Nalbuphine or Promedrol.

Immobilization of the damaged limb

First aid for limb fracturesinvolves the immobilization of the damaged area of ​​the bone. Immobility of the limb can be provided in several ways: the binding of the injured lower limb with a healthy one, fixing with improvised means, pinning a broken arm to the body are applied. If it is not possible to provide transport immobilization with special tires, any flat solid object can be used. To fix the arm or leg should be in a normal physiological position. It is necessary to put a cotton-gauze pad between the tire and the limb.

When immobilizing should consider a few rules and requirements:

• the tire must immobilize at least two joints in order to prevent additional damage to the soft tissue by bone fragments;
• the size of the fixing tire must be comparable to the damaged area;
• immobilization is carried out, as a rule, over clothes and shoes, but it is worth removing bulky items from the victim;
• First aid for fractures of the upper extremities (as well as the lower ones) is provided with an assistant whenever possible.

After all the necessary first aid measures have been taken, an ambulance should be called. The victim will need qualified medical assistance and care.